MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United are up and running under Ruben Amorim after Rasmus Højlund handed the Portuguese coach his first win in his new job.
On Thursday, Højlund scored twice as United came from behind to beat Bodø/Glimt 3-2 in the UEFA Europa League at Old Trafford. The game will give Amorim hope for the future and reinforce his feeling that there will be plenty of suffering along the way.
Much of the optimism will centre around Højlund, who found the net either side of half-time with two well-taken goals. His first, with a sharp touch and volley under pressure in the penalty area, was particularly impressive. It was crucial too, coming just before the break after United had gone in front inside the first minute through Alejandro Garnacho and then conceded two quick goals.
Amorim said in the buildup that he’s “concerned” that United, among the Premier League‘s lowest scorers this season, do not score enough goals. If Højlund can begin to find the net regularly it will certainly make Amorim’s next few weeks and months far smoother.
Amorim can also help Højlund begin to live up to the mammoth £72 million fee United paid Atalanta for his services. Under previous boss Erik ten Hag, there were repeated questions about whether the style of football suited Højlund’s strengths.
Here he twice benefitted from crosses into the box, the first from Noussair Mazraoui and the second from Manuel Ugarte. It’s the type of service Højlund craves but rarely received under Ten Hag.
“I think he improved the connection [in the team],” Amorim said afterwards.
“He has to improve more because sometimes he takes too many touches when he holds the ball. But he’s very important for us because he is the guy to hold the ball and connect for transitions. He did that very well. He has that characteristic.
“He was aggressive with the goals. He was aggressive in the box, and he is a quality player. He scores the most difficult goals. He has a lot to improve but that is the same for every player. He did a great job today.”
Amorim said he saw improvement from his first game against Ipswich Town and branded the welcome he got from Old Trafford as “special” after fans unveiled a banner in his honour before kickoff and chanted his name throughout the 90 minutes.
It feels like a fresh start, but some of the old problems are hard to shift.
In the last 18 months of Ten Hag’s reign, United conceded two goals in four minutes at Bayern Munich, two in 10 minutes against Galatasaray, two in four minutes against Copenhagen, two in nine minutes against Galatasaray again and two in seven minutes against Porto.
It’s proving a hard habit to shake and in Amorim’s first European game, they allowed Bodø/Glimt — who brought more than 6,000 fans from Norway to Manchester — to score twice in four minutes.
At times, it’s as if Amorim is trying to tame a wild animal. He stands on the touchline shouting, pointing, pleading. He gives players who follow his instructions enthusiastic applause and looks demoralised when things don’t play out as expected.
He said in his first news conference since taking the job that these players “give the ball away too much,” and you could see the energy drain away from his body when they did it twice in the first five minutes here.
After one attempted switch of play from Mason Mount early in the second half was cut out by a yellow shirt, Amorim’s shoulders slumped and his chin dropped towards the floor.
He will hope that the mistakes become less and less frequent the longer he spends with his new players. That, though, is part of the problem.
After playing on Thursday night against Bodø/Glimt, the squad will have a rest and recovery day on Friday. The players will train on Saturday and on Sunday, Everton visit Old Trafford in the Premier League.
Amorim needs time, but he will barely get any in the middle of English football’s hectic fixture list. United will have to learn on the job.
Amorim is learning, too. He will have noted the defensive frailty that was exposed by Bodø/Glimt and the continued trend of missing golden chances. Garnacho and Marcus Rashford should have both scored in the final 15 minutes to close out the game.
Instead, United tired towards the end and fell back towards their own goal despite Amorim repeatedly urging his team to defend higher up the pitch. The continued message from the new coach is that it’s a work in progress and it’s going to take time.
“We improved different things since the last game,” Amorim said.
“We improve with the ball, we control more of the tempo, we push the team a bit higher and we create more chances. We suffered in two transitions — we must improve on that — it was like runs but I like some things the team did.
“I came from Portugal and half of the stadium doesn’t know me. I have done nothing for this club yet but the way they support me from the beginning, I feel I am not alone now. I am one of them and I hope not to disappoint them.”
