Hojlund insists Manchester United’s displays will improve under Amorim

Manchester United hero Rasmus Hojlund is confident his performance will improve when he spends more time on the training ground with Ruben Amorim.

Hojlund came off the bench tonight to score twice in the last half hour to help United to a 2-1 Europa League win at Viktoria Plzen after goalkeeper Andre Onana had given the Czech hosts the opener .

The result boosted United’s chances of an automatic qualification place for the knockout stages, but it was another uninspiring display that, for long periods, raised more questions than answers.

United’s passing was sloppy, Onana making another basic mistake as Marcus Rashford was sent off before being sent off.

Hojlund’s removal of Rashford was the game’s turning point, with United using the great Dane as the focal point they had previously lacked.

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It’s still early – Hojlund

Asked to assess United’s progress under their new Portuguese boss, Hojlund told TNT Sports: “We still need more time. It’s still very early. It’s about getting our routines together and getting there. But still he needs practice and time. I know it sounds strange, but we don’t have enough time in the training camp, so we have to train him during the games. But he is getting better every time.”

Conditions at the Doosan Arena were not conducive to attracting flowing football with both teams battling it out, particularly in a dreadful opening 45 minutes.

“It was a bit difficult out there. It was very cold today and the field was also a bit waterlogged, but we solved that in the second half,” added Hojlund.

“I think we didn’t play very direct in the first half. I needed to play above them and behind them more because there was room to run. Especially with the boggy ground I was talking about, if we win the second balls, you can play from there.”

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Ona’s mistakes are starting to be a problem for United

Onana’s form will be a concern for Amorim, with the Cameroonian also at fault for two of Nottingham Forest’s three goals at Old Trafford on Saturday.

United captain Bruno Fernandes was not about to criticize Onana when asked about him afterwards.

Fernandes said: “We want to play from the back and everyone knows that then we have to make the right decision on the pitch. Andre (Onana) thought Matta (De Ligt) could get the ball but he didn’t miss it and they scored a goal.

“It’s not about Andre making the mistake, we don’t look at individuals here when something goes the wrong way. We have a lot of confidence in him. He knows he made a mistake because he’s a smart guy, he’s going to help us a lot and we trust his qualities on the ball.

“Mistakes are part of football. If they don’t happen, the goals don’t get done. But we did well to show resilience to come back and find the win.”

Amorim pleased with United’s improvement

Amorim attributed the victory to more urgency after the break. He said: “The speed improved. I told the players that we need more movement up front because they have to feel that we are a danger. We have changed our game a bit and the players on the bench have also helped us. We have improved not only the way of playing, but also the speed of the game.

“We are improving in some details. We controlled the transitions very well. We were aggressive when we lost the ball. We need to spend more time near the opposition’s goal.”