Ruben Amorim has been touched by the special welcome at Old Trafford and says he already feels included after securing his first win as Manchester United manager.
The 39-year-old Portuguese, who began his reign with a 1-1 Premier League draw with promoted Ipswich on Sunday, led the side for the first time at home in Thursday’s Europa League group stage clash with Norway’s Bodo/Glimt.
United got off to a blistering start with Alejandro Garnacho capitalizing on an early mistake by goalkeeper Nikita Haikin, but Bodo took a shock lead through goals from Hakon Evjen and Philip Zinckernagel.
Manchester United celebrated an exciting start to the Europa League in Amorim’s first home game.
Rasmus Hojlund equalized with a fine volley just before the break and another just after half-time to secure a 3-2 win and Amorim’s first win away to Old Trafford.
“It was special because half the stadium didn’t know me,” the United manager said. “I can say I’m from Portugal and half the stadium doesn’t know me.
“I haven’t done anything for this club yet but the way they supported me in the beginning made me feel like I wasn’t alone.
“Now I’m one of them and it’s really special. I hope I don’t disappoint the supporters.”
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Anton Toluj reflects on Amorim’s first win as Manchester United manager.
“I think we’ve improved in other things since the last game, we know it’s different competition, different teams, but we improve with the ball.
“We control the tempo with the ball better, push the team higher and create more chances.
“We’ve got to kill the game before it’s over. We’ve got to have a couple of turnovers. I think we need to improve because it was like a run, it was like a physical one-on-one.
“We need to improve on that, but I like what the team did today.”
Amorim explains how Hojlund needs to improve
Amorim made six changes in Sunday’s Premier League draw at Ipswich, including the inclusion of Hojlund in the starting line-up.
The 21-year-old striker has failed to shine consistently since joining from Atalanta in 2023 and doubled his season tally with a pair of impressive finishes against Bodo.
“I think he has improved his connection,” Amorim said of Hojlund. “I think he needs to improve because sometimes he takes too many touches when he gets the ball.
“But that’s very important for us because when we’re on the low block he’s the one who gets the ball, it connects in transition, he’s very good at that, he’s got those traits.
“He’s aggressive in goal, he’s aggressive in the box and he’s a high-quality player.
“I think he scored the most difficult goal so he has a lot of room to improve, like every player, but he did a really good job today.”
How Amorim Adapted to Win Their First Game
Amorim took charge of Manchester United’s first game against Bodo/Glimt at Old Trafford.
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Amorim warned his team would have to struggle as they adapted to his new system, and it paid off against Bodo/Glimt, with the Norwegian champions exposing glaring holes.
The team’s pressing was much more impressive with Hojlund and Mason Mount up front, but there were problems further back in defence.
Amorim wanted the right and left centre-backs to push up to the right to win the ball high in midfield, but the other players seemed unclear as to what their responsibilities were at this moment.
Evjen’s precise equalizer saw Mazraoui apply pressure to win the ball back and Ugarte had to cover, which left a hole on the edge of the box that Bruno Fernandes had to fill, operating further back than Ipswich.
Finding the top corner, it was too late when Evjen realized how much space there was on the edge of the box.
Then, in the second, Lisandro Martinez went deep into the opposition’s half, forcing Tyrell Malacia to go one-on-one with Zinckernagel. The returning defender who started first was left for dead. A long ball over the top was needed to expose the gap.
Hojlund’s first goal, the equalizer to make it 2-2, was a perfect example of this strategy in action. United lost the ball high up the pitch, but Mazraoui intercepted to end the move as the provider.
Diogo Dalot made his first appearance for United in 550 days after being brought on during the break in Malacia and exposed in Bodo’s second game.
United still occupied a back three and Dalot came inside almost as a number 10, but the Norwegian champions reverted to a back four without the ball to solve the problems that separated the hosts in the first half.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing since then, but United have improved significantly. Amorim is suffering from dental problems but showed enough adaptability to get over the line for his first win.
