Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has insisted that one of his key first-team players will not be “relaxed” after his performance against Bournemouth.
Bournemouth welcomed Manchester United to the Vitality Stadium for their Premier League encounter on Sunday afternoon, which ended in a 1-1 draw on the day.
Andoni Iraola’s men were 1-0 up by half-time after Antoine Semenyo broke the deadlock for Bournemouth in the 23rd minute at the Vitality Stadium.
United were left chasing the match against Bournemouth and the Cherries were dealt a major blow in the second half after striker Evanilson was sent off.
The Red Devils then snatched a Premier League point in the dying stages of the match after striker Rasmus Hojlund found the crucial equaliser for United.
United will now switch their attention away from their lacklustre 2024-25 Premier League campaign and resume their important Europa League run.
The Red Devils are through to the semi-finals of the Europa League and will face La Liga outfit Athletic Club after United knocked Lyon out in the quarter-finals.
Ruben Amorim makes an ‘always important’ claim after Rasmus Hojlund’s impact against Bournemouth in the Premier League
Ruben Amorim is now mainly relying on Rasmus Hojlund as his main striking option after Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee is out of action due to injury.
Rasmus Hojlund has struggled in his second full season at Old Trafford and the 22-year-old Danish forward has failed to make an impact in the final third at times.
The United and Denmark striker has only managed to score four times and picked up one assist in 29 Premier League matches in the current campaign.
Hojlund has seen much better returns in Europe, with the Denmark international netting five times and registering three assists in 12 Europa League matches.
“I will not say [he is] relaxed, but he could be a little bit lighter during the week,” Amorim told BBC’s Match of the Day, as per BBC Sport.
“He now needs to score many more.”
Amorim added that scoring in the final third will always be important for a striker like Hojlund and welcomed the Bournemouth result ahead of the Athletic Club match.
Speaking after United’s 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, he told Sky Sports: “It is always important for strikers to score.
“But when we look at the game as a striker, it is not just the goals. It is a good boost but the next game is a new history and we have to go again.”
Ruben Amorim sends clear-cut message to Man Utd players after the 1-1 draw vs Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium
Amorim has said that United are still struggling to make a meaningful impact in the final third and he wants to see the Red Devils be more clinical with their chances.
The 40-year-old United manager told Sky Sports: “Was one point. We could do better; we created chances, but we need to do better near the box.
“It is small things. We have to understand the foot that is in play, crossing, one v ones. We need to understand the game in that way.
“Today, we pushed our opponent, especially after the sending off. We had the chances, but again, we didn’t score.”
Athletic Club will host United in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final encounter at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao on Thursday evening.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
