'You were so tough on him' - Ruben Amorim 'happy' for Manchester United loanee

A former Man United player is back at Old Trafford on Saturday and loanee Man United players have been on the scoresheet this month.

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is pleased for Rasmus Hojlund that he scored on his debut for Napoli after the "tough" criticism he received.

Hojlund was on target in Napoli's 3-1 win at Fiorentina last week and started in their 2-0 Champions League loss at Manchester City on Thursday night.

United let Hojlund leave on a season-long loan at the start of this month and Napoli have an obligation to buy the 22-year-old for £38million next year. The Denmark international managed three goals in his final 35 appearances for United.

Fellow loanee Marcus Rashford was also on target with a superb brace for Barcelona in their Champions League victory at Newcastle United. Rashford had failed to score in his first four games for the Spanish champions before his two second-half goals at St James' Park on Thursday evening.

When Amorim was asked about Rashford's impact back on English soil, he replied: "And Rasmus. Rasmus scoring the first goal for Napoli.

"So I'm really happy for Rasmus also. It's the same thing with Rasmus, guys. You were so tough on Rasmus and he scored also, so let's [take] notice of that."

Amorim was reluctant to dwell on Alejandro Garnacho's time at United as he prepares to return to Old Trafford with Chelsea. Garnacho was a member of the five-man 'bomb squad' that was ordered to report for training at a separate time to United's core squad in pre-season.

In July, Amorim said it was "clear that Garnacho wants a different thing with a different leadership". On Friday, he added: "Guys, I'm not concerned about [whether selling Garnacho could backfire]. I just want to win games.

"I don't care who plays for the opponent, what people are going to say in the end, if the other player is going to play well. They are good players and they will play well if things happen. I'm just focused on winning the game. That is my only concern."

Bruno Fernandes is likely to continue in central midfield for United despite a subdued start to the season. Fernandes scored United's winning penalty against Burnley three weeks ago and has created the most chances in the Premier League but his position is a topic of debate.

Fernandes has played the majority of his United career as a playmaker but Amorim has settled on a deeper role for the club captain amid a paucity of central midfield options. Fernandes, 31, enjoyed a brief stint in midfield under Erik ten Hag and has started in a deeper role for the Portugal national team.

"Of course, Bruno wants all the freedom in the world," Amorim stated. "But even when he plays a 10 role, he's getting the ball back. Maybe he's not having the same freedom to get inside the box, but he's getting there and he's near the box and he can do his shots.

"I think it's a position that I want Bruno more deep to have more possession, to try to control more the game. And we are doing that.

"Sometimes we miss a little bit Bruno in front. Maybe because (Matheus) Cunha is not there. But if Cunha is there, we have one extra player. So I'm trying just to balance the team and trying to imagine the game. And we'll try to put the best starting 11 there.

"But I see Bruno well. He's frustrated because he's not winning games. Sometimes he likes to go further, but he has a job to do. And the important thing is not Bruno playing well. It's the team playing well and winning football games. And he can play in different positions."

Click here to read article