Relief for Amorim

Manchester United manager happy to avoid playoff round after 2-0 win over Romanian side FCSB, says it will give players time to implement his tactics

Ruben Amorim said Manchester United’s progress to the Europa League last 16 with a 2-0 win over Romanian side FCSB will be crucial in his bid to revitalise his troubled team. Amorim’s men recovered from a patchy first half in Bucharest to secure the top-eight finish (third) that guaranteed automatic qualification for the last 16 on Thursday. Diogo Dalot broke the deadlock at the hour mark with a close-range finish from Kobbie Mainoo’s cross and the provider turned scorer eight minutes later as the England midfielder tucked away Alejandro Garnacho’s pass.

United on a roll 

After beating Rangers and Fulham in their previous  games, United recorded three consecutive wins for the first time this season. Avoiding the play-off round is a major boost for Amorim, who will use the free time to drill his tactics and philosophy on the training ground. “ It’s really important for us to have time to train and have the connection between everybody, even the staff,” Amorim said.

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Ruben Amorim instructing Utd on Wednesday. Pic/Getty Images

“In training we go to the pitch and get to know each other in the right environment. You can work on your ideas and then have time to focus on the opponent. That is the biggest thing. More than the win is to have time to train,” he added. Amorim also believes the time spent in training will help him identify the optimum position for his players.

“I put Kobbie Mainoo in that [attacking midfield] position. We need time to understand the players as he was struggling a lot defending [when playing deeper],” Amorim said. “As a No.10 he was so free playing the ball near the box. We need time to work with the players to understand what the best position is for them,” he added.

Spurs into Round of 16

Elsewhere, an injury-riddled Tottenham Hotspur dealt  with Elfsborg with considerable ease, cruising to a 3-0 win. Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou hailed the triumph as “Made in Tottenham,” with three academy talents getting onto the scoresheet. “I’m super pleased for the young boys, I’m sure they won’t sleep tonight. We needed something tonight and the young lads stepped up,” Postecoglou said. The result saw the London  outfit finish fourth and book a Round of 16 slot.

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