Manchester United defeated Newcastle United in the Premier League’s only Boxing Day game, with Patrick Dorg’s stunning volley clinching victory for Ruben Amorim’s side.
Ruben Amorim says he wanted Mason Mount to continue playing after he was injured against Newcastle. However, Manchester United’s head coach said the club cannot afford to risk losing another midfielder for a long period of time.
United fought to the last minute against Eddie Howe’s side, missing captain Bruno Fernandes, midfielder Koby Mainu and centre-backs Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire. Mount was also sent off at half-time and was replaced by teenager Jack Fletcher, who played 45 minutes in the second half.
“He felt something at half-time. He wanted to go, which is good too,” Amorim told Sky Sports. “He wanted to go in the second half, but we can’t lose any more players and Jack (Fletcher) has done a very good job, even if he’s not 100 percent.
“It’s a very important moment for any kid. He’s going to hear from his father. He’s going to talk a lot about a lot of things, but you have to stay calm and praise the kid because he’s really humble and he works hard and he deserves it.”
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Despite the absence, Amorim’s team achieved a hard-fought victory thanks to a rare clean sheet. Patrick Dorg became an unlikely hero, scoring his first goal for the club with a volley, and the Denmark international showed he was playing a more advanced role than before.
Recently, United’s manager told Dorg to try to boost his confidence after some nervousness made the manager himself nervous. The former Lecce star clearly accepted the comments and referred to the advice when speaking to Sky Sports after the match.
After the victory, Dorgu said, “It was a good shot. I never thought I would be able to do something like that, but I was very happy to be able to score my first goal in this stadium. It was amazing.”
“I just took what (Amorim) told me to work on my confidence and stuff. I think I did a good job today. I just looked at the ball, watched it fall, and just hit it. I’ve been working on it in training, so I think that helped.”
Amorim also said the 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle last December was in mind when he made the unexpected decision to switch to a back four. “I think we showed in the first half that we feel that’s the only way to create more danger. The only way to get more chances is to be in a back four with more players inside,” he said.
“Even in possession, I remember last year’s game where we went out and lost 1-1. We just imagined the game and tried to help the players get comfortable.”
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