Ruben Amorim heaps praise on Rasmus Hojlund after goal-shy striker ends scoring drought with tidy finish against Leicester… and admits it’s a ‘shame’ momentum is forced to stop due to the international break
Ruben Amorim paid tribute to Rasmus Hojlund after the Manchester United striker ended his marathon goal drought in the win at Leicester on Sunday night.
It was the highlight of a third impressive performance in a week by United, with Amorim’s only regret being that his team’s momentum will now be interrupted by the international break.
Amorim said: ‘It’s really important for Rasmus. He’s doing the right things, helping the team, fighting for every ball. He scored a very good goal and I think he deserved it more than anybody.
‘It was a difficult goal with difficult control with his right foot. It’s a shame we stop for the national teams because we have confidence.
‘It was clear today my players are at the limit. We are going to use this window to rest and recover. It will be good. When we return, it will be like starting from scratch.’
United suffered an injury setback when young Ayden Heaven was carried off early in the second half, although it’s understood the teenager did not go to hospital.
Goal-shy striker Rasmus Hojlund finished superbly to end his scoring drought at Leicester
His well-taken goal put Manchester United ahead in their dominant 3-0 win over the Foxes
Ruben Amorim admits it’s a ‘shame’ momentum is forced to stop due to the international break
‘We will see next week, added Amorim. ‘It’s hard to understand because when he was on the ground he couldn’t explain what he was feeling.
‘He already played well against Arsenal and Real Sociedad. Today for me, was the most difficult game for him because we expect him to relax a bit, but he was so focused.’
United’s other goals came from Alejandro Garnacho, who scored for the first time in 25 games, and Bruno Fernandes who got his fifth in a week and added two assists.
‘Garnacho was really happy but the most important thing is the way he is improving his game,’ said the United boss. ‘He is playing both sides and sprinting back. When you do the good things in that manner it’s going to show.’
On Fernandes, Amorim added: ‘What surprised me the most is the way he works every day. In Portugal, we see Bruno with that frustration, but I was surprised because he’s a very good professional.’
Another defeat left Leicester even deeper in the relegation mire, but manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is refusing to throw in the towel.
‘The players are giving everything they have,’ he said. ‘The gap is nine points. It’s big but we can’t and won’t give up. We’ll keep going and use all the possibilities we have to turn this situation around. Now we’ll have a long break and come back from there.’
