Ruben Amorim has praised an unsung Manchester United player for what he did in the first half against Lyon in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.
Lyon hosted Manchester United on Thursday and the Red Devils blew a 2-1 lead over the French side in the late stages of the match at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
Thiago Almada opened the scoring for Lyon from a free-kick in the first half after the first of two howlers from Andre Onana during United’s 2-2 draw in France.
Leny Yoro produced an equaliser in first-half injury time for United before Joshua Zirkzee scored a superb header to put the Red Devils 2-1 up in the second half.
However, United’s late lead against Lyon at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais didn’t last long after Rayan Cherki bagged a crucial equaliser in second-half injury time.
United will now host Ligue 1 outfit Lyon in the return leg at Old Trafford on 17th April, with kick-off slated for 8pm UK time for the Europa League quarter-final tie.
What Ruben Amorim noticed from Rasmus Hojlund’s Man Utd performance vs Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals
Ruben Amorim made the call to start Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund ahead of Joshua Zirkzee for Thursday’s 2-2 Europa League draw in France.
Rasmus Hojlund has struggled with his form at Old Trafford in the 2024-25 season and has struggled to deliver regular goalscoring numbers for the Red Devils.
The 22-year-old Danish forward has only netted eight times and registered four assists in 42 matches across all competitions for United in the current campaign.
Hojlund lasted 63 minutes at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais before United manager Amorim made the decision to swap him out for Red Devils striker Zirkzee.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Amorim insisted that United and Denmark striker Hojlund showed his quality at times in the first half against Lyon.
“Sometimes the most important player in the game is the guys that come on during the game,” he said, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“So, he [Zirkzee] did his job quite well. But again, Rasmus, especially during the first half, he did a lot of runs and pushed the team forward, in one moment that we were struggling to find the right moment to press the opponent. So, he did his job.
“And then Josh did a great goal and also did a great job when he was inside of the pitch.”
Ruben Amorim remains cautious about Man Utd’s Europa League challenge after Lyon result in the quarter-finals
Amorim admitted that he remains focused on United beating Lyon in the quarter-finals before he turns his attention to the opponent for the Europa League semi-finals.
“No, I think it’s 50/50,” he said.
“And then we have to be really smart in the next round because we are going to play at home and our stadium with our fans, and they will give us energy.
“But at the same time, this team of Lyon wants to push us to make possession near the box, to have a lot of space to make transitions.
“So, the next stage we need to play of course, with our heart, but we have to think a lot during the game.
“So, it’s a really difficult match, but again, we are playing with our fans and when we play at home, we play with one more player.”
United will now head to St James’ Park on Sunday for the Red Devils’ Premier League clash against Newcastle, with kick-off planned for 4:30pm UK time.
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