Ruben’s press conference

Manchester United were knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup at Old Trafford with a penalty shootout defeat to Fulham on Sunday evening.

The visitors took the lead on the cusp of half-time through Calvin Bassey’s header, before Bruno Fernandes levelled the game with fewer than 20 minutes remaining, when he slotted home a Diogo Dalot cross.

Extra-time couldn’t separate the two sides, meaning penalties were required. Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno managed to keep out strikes from Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee, sending the Cottagers through to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Inside the ground after the game, head coach Ruben Amorim discussed the fitness of Harry Maguire and Alejandro Garnacho, plus much more. Keep scrolling to read everything he had to say in his post-match debrief…

Ruben, that’s obviously disappointing in the sense of you having the chance to win two tournaments, two ways of getting into Europe, and you’ve lost the game and another game at home. What was your reflection on that?

“I think we started quite well with good possession, controlling the game. But we cannot maintain that for all the game. Sometimes we drop the lines to feel more comfortable, trying to use the transitions. I think during the game, we create the best chances. Sometimes we didn’t control the game with the ball. But in the end, with the penalties, [it] can happen for both sides and today was not our day.”

What was the thinking behind Victor Lindelof taking the fourth penalty kick? I know he converted against Brighton a few years ago, but there was maybe some surprise that Zirkzee or Garnacho didn’t take one before him.

“No, he was really confident to take a shot. He’s training really well, scoring in training, so it was an obvious choice.”

Another goalless performance from Rasmus Hojlund, Chido Obi came on. Is there a possible change in who might be the striker going forward at this point in time?

“Anything can happen in the next games. During training, we don’t have a lot of time to train, but we need to see the opposition, feel the moment of the player physically in this moment with a lot of games. Because we are going to start playing Thursday/Sunday, anything can happen. But I will focus on just the next game, you know, try and in that way, like I’m going to change the striker. No, I will choose the best players to win the next match.”

Are you confident there are enough goals in your squad? 

“No, we have a problem with goals. Today, we create situations, but even in the last game, sometimes you felt that just in set-pieces, we are going to make some danger. So, I think the first step is to create situations. Today, we create, but we have to improve that to help our forwards and strikers to score.”

You said you have a problem with goals. Do you have a problem with the number of players you’re going to have available for the trip to Spain? You seemed to pick up more injuries.

“We’ll see. We’ll see. I have to see how is Harry Maguire. We will see. It’s a tough moment in that aspect, but we have to move on. It will be a competitive team on Thursday.”

And how big a blow is this exit in the FA Cup to you and your season?

“It’s always hard because you always have the cups when the league is not going in the right direction, but we need to focus on the big goal, that is improving the team, trying to imagine how we are going to improve the team, not just in this moment, in this season, for the next season. So, we have to think not just in the moment, but also in the future.”

What did you think of Alejandro Garnacho’s performance? He hasn’t scored since November now. Is he lacking confidence? 

“No, I think you can feel it that he has like a little bit that knock in the knee. He’s good in transitions. We need that in the team sometimes. He’s creating and trying to go one against one. He’s also a thing that we lack in this squad. So, I think he’s training well. I think he did well today. So he has to be ready for the next match.” 

You had a situation in the 78th minute, the game’s 1-1. You know, normally, last 10 minutes of a cup tie like this at Old Trafford, you’d expect United to be throwing everything at the opposition, and the goalkeeper’s taking an age to take a goal-kick. And then it happened again a few minutes later, and then again, and the Stretford End are getting really frustrated by it. Is that an instruction?

“It’s also frustration for Andre [Onana]. I think he’s trying to read the team sometimes, and you felt that our team was so tired. We played the last game with one less player the second half. And I feel he’s using that time for us to rest a little bit, to go for the second ball. Sometimes, we push the team forward, then you feel that the players need a little bit of a moment. So I think he wants to help the team, not the opposite thing.”

Ruben, you said after the match that the goal’s still to win the Premier League and then Wayne Rooney said that that’s a bit naive to say that. He’s also said if he was potentially joining the club now, he actually wouldn’t think about joining if he was a foreign player. What’s your reaction to that? Is winning the Premier League still a realistic thing to be talking about right now?

“No, that is the goal. Being naive is to think that we are going to do [it] this season or are going to be the best contender for the next season. So I know that in this moment everybody knows everything. So I know that and this is really easy. I was a pundit when I finished my career, so I know it’s really easy. Our goal is to win the Premier League. Maybe it’s not with me, but our goal as a club, the board, is winning the Premier League. Like we did in the past with all the great glories and the legends of this club. And do we want to do better, and we know that we are in a difficult moment, and I’m not naive. That’s why I am here coaching at 40-years-old, Manchester United.”

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Bruno Fernandes is now targeting success in the Europa League following his ‘dream’ of a third consecutive FA Cup final at Wembley being ended with our fifth-round exit to Fulham.

Fernandes scored a wonderful equaliser for United – his 90th goal in red colours – to ensure the tie went the distance at Old Trafford, after Calvin Bassey had netted an opener for the visitors in first-half stoppage time.

The skipper stepped up successfully again by converting the first effort of the ensuing penalty shootout, but United were unable to match the 100 per cent conversion rate displayed by the Cottagers from the spot, as a result, losing out 4-3 on penalties.

“Of course, I help the team to draw the game and to try to get back into the game to win it, but unfortunately, it was not enough today,” our no.8 told MUTV in his post-match interview, when asked about his equalising strike.

“But we look forward now to the rest of the season, obviously with the main focus now on the next game in a competition where we want to go forward. It’s one of our goals for this season to try to get a trophy.

“I think we controlled the gam. In one moment in the first half where we concede the goal, we talk about during the week, that they do that in set-pieces. We should have been more aware of that.

“But I think we controlled the game in the first half very well, we had some chances, in the second half even more.

“Then in extra-time, I think Fulham had a little bit more control of the game, but we had the better chances to end up scoring a goal, but we didn’t, and then the penalties, they were more efficient than us.”

Fernandes agreed when it was put to him that our fighting spirit is still strong but, ultimately, felt the special moment needed for us to get a winner did not come.

“I think it’s [fighting spirit] always been there but, obviously in [some] moments, you get goals. In others, you don’t. Against Everton, it wasn’t enough to get the win. Against Ipswich, it was. Today was enough to get us into extra-time and then into penalties but, as I said, they were more efficient than us.

“Unluckily for us, it’s a dream that getting into the final at Wembley again that is not there anymore, but we need to keep pushing for what’s left of the season.”

Looking ahead to facing Real Sociedad, a side Bruno has faced in two-legged ties twice before during his time as a Red, in the 2020/21 and 2022/23 campaigns, the midfielder is well aware of the test the Basque outfit will provide.

“We know that we had many injuries in this period and we don’t have as many players and we’ve been playing almost always with the same players for long spells, it’s been difficult,” continued the Portugal international.

“We just now need to recover, focus ourselves to the best we can to get [to our] best, fresh legs to the next games.

“It’s going to be a tough one, a Spanish team that plays brilliant football, very, very good players up front, very [high] quality coming out from the back, so we need to be fresh to run again because they will make us run, and then when we have the ball, we have to make them run, too.”

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Ruben Amorim suggested that Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi proved their ability to operate at the level required for Manchester United off the bench against Fulham.

The young duo were both making debuts of sorts in the Emirates FA Cup fifth-round tie – with Obi’s introduction for the closing stages of regular time his first taste of first-team action at Old Trafford, while Heaven’s appearance for the duration of extra-time was his maiden outing at senior level for the Reds.

Obi, who also came off the bench in our Premier League trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Everton last month, proved a handful in attack for Amorim’s men, drawing two fine saves from Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno in either half of extra-time.

Heaven, meanwhile, was a solid figure in our back three for those tense final stages, after he replaced Harry Maguire at the start of the first half of extra-time.

“They are players with talent and then, when you have this moment with some injuries, they have to be ready,” Ruben said. “It’s our tradition to put players in to play, especially in this moment.

“We have to focus on everything, the future is right there and the young kids can feel the club and can change things sometimes for us, without buying players.

“And I think Chido did really well today. Of course, he was a little bit naïve in some moments, but you felt that, inside the box, he wants the ball – something the strikers have and he has.

“Ayden was really relaxed during the game so I’m quite happy for them but it’s a tough first [home] game for them.”

The performances of the fledgling pair offer little consolation against the backdrop of a disappointing exit from the FA Cup, which we had hoped to retain following our success at Wembley last season.

But there was certainly encouragement to take from the efforts of both players, at either end of the field, as United’s attentions now turn to Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday.

We congratulate both Chido and Ayden on their latest achievements, and feel sure there will be more to come from both.

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