Amorim downplays on-pitch row between Man United teammates Hojlund & Amad, calls it 'very good sign' (WATCH)

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has downplayed the on-field disagreement between teammates Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo during Thursday night's match. Following defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, along with the surprise departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth, the Red Devils found some relief with a 2-1 comeback victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League. An early second-half mistake by goalkeeper Andre Onana allowed former Burnley striker Matej Vydra to put the hosts ahead. However, substitute Hojlund quickly equalized before scoring a dramatic winner two minutes from the final whistle, securing Amorim's first away win as United manager. Despite scoring the match-winning brace, Hojlund's overriding emotion at full-time was frustration after being denied the chance to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time when Diallo opted to go for goal rather than crossing to him. In another counterattack moments later, Hojlund chose not to pass to Diallo, which led to an argument between the two as both teams were heading down the tunnel at the final whistle. 🎥-⚪️ Ruben Amorim described Rasmus Hojlund and Amad's full-time row as "perfect" 🗣️ “When you care, you fight with your brother, with your father, with your mother. It's a VERY GOOD sign.” pic.twitter.com/JNxVuOSY7I — Beyond United (@BeyondUTD1) December 12, 2024 Despite the heated exchange, newly-appointed manager Amorim viewed it positively, stating: Yes (I was aware of that), and for me it's perfect. "You know, in this moment we need to feel something. If we need to fight each other, it's like a family. For me it's a very, very good sign. We need to feel something and that is important," he added. Amorim further stated that the incident reflects that the players 'care'. "That is clear. When you don't care, you don't do nothing. When you care, you fight with your brother, with your father, with your mother. For me, it's a very good sign," he said. "It's a normal thing. I think it's a positive thing, a healthy thing, so I let the players and the captain to calm down the things. If I see it is too much, I will go inside the dressing room. But it's their space, they have to talk, to fight and, again, for me it's a very important thing," the Man United boss further said. Thursday's win put United on the brink of reaching the Europa League knockout stage and improved their chances of securing a top-eight finish, which would allow them to bypass the play-off round. The victory provided a much-needed confidence boost ahead of Sunday's trip to struggling rivals Manchester City and marked another step forward as Amorim works to shape the team in his own image. "In this moment, in this context, the way we give a goal to the opponent, it was important not to give up. That is a great message. It was not a great game, but we manage to do these good things that is good when you are building a team and I think we deserved the win. I am happy that we win the game and still fight each other. That is a very good thing. When you win and fight with your team-mate because you want to score one more, for me it's a very good day for us," Amorim said.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has downplayed the on-field disagreement between teammates Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo during Thursday night's match. Following defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, along with the surprise departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth, the Red Devils found some relief with a 2-1 comeback victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League. An early second-half mistake by goalkeeper Andre Onana allowed former Burnley striker Matej Vydra to put the hosts ahead.

However, substitute Hojlund quickly equalized before scoring a dramatic winner two minutes from the final whistle, securing Amorim's first away win as United manager. Despite scoring the match-winning brace, Hojlund's overriding emotion at full-time was frustration after being denied the chance to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time when Diallo opted to go for goal rather than crossing to him. In another counterattack moments later, Hojlund chose not to pass to Diallo, which led to an argument between the two as both teams were heading down the tunnel at the final whistle.

Despite the heated exchange, newly-appointed manager Amorim viewed it positively, stating: Yes (I was aware of that), and for me it's perfect. "You know, in this moment we need to feel something. If we need to fight each other, it's like a family.

For me it's a very, very good sign. We need to feel something and that is important," he added. Amorim further stated that the incident reflects that the players 'care'.

"That is clear. When you don't care, you don't do nothing. When you care, you fight with your brother, with your father, with your mother.

For me, it's a very good sign," he said. "It's a normal thing. I think it's a positive thing, a healthy thing, so I let the players and the captain to calm down the things.

If I see it is too much, I will go inside the dressing room. But it's their space, they have to talk, to fight and, again, for me it's a very important thing," the Man United boss further said. Thursday's win put United on the brink of reaching the Europa League knockout stage and improved their chances of securing a top-eight finish, which would allow them to bypass the play-off round.

The victory provided a much-needed confidence boost ahead of Sunday's trip to struggling rivals Manchester City and marked another step forward as Amorim works to shape the team in his own image. "In this moment, in this context, the way we give a goal to the opponent, it was important not to give up. That is a great message.

It was not a great game, but we manage to do these good things that is good when you are building a team and I think we deserved the win. I am happy that we win the game and still fight each other. That is a very good thing.

When you win and fight with your team-mate because you want to score one more, for me it's a very good day for us," Amorim said..