FCSB vs Manchester United LIVE: Europa League result and reaction as Dalot and Mainoo goals secure win
FCSB 0-2 Man Utd: Ruben Amorim’s men booked their place in the last-16 with a fine outing in Romania
Manchester United secured their place in the Europa League last-16 with a competent if unspectacular performance away at FCSB.
Ruben Amorim’s side controlled the game from the very start and dominated possession in the first half though they found it difficult to break through the hosts’ defences. FCSB actually came closest to opening the scoring as Mihai Popescu met a free kick and poked the ball just wide of the target.
United, however, lacked tempo and pace but with a firm grip on the game Amorim made changes at half-time and brought on pacey wingers Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo.
The deadlock came from a quick throw in from Amad who found Christian Eriksen. The Dane slipped Kobbie Mainoo into the box and he squared to Diogo Dalot for a tap in. Garnacho then had his say in the second goal. He bombed forward on the left, received the ball from Mainoo then sent it back to the midfielder who side-footed home.
It’s three wins from three now for Man Utd and their Europa League campaign is going swimmingly.
Relive the updates from the National Arena in Bucharest in our live blog below:
Amorim on FCSB
Of tonight’s opponents, the Man Utd coach said: I know they're a strong team and can score a lot of goals from set-pieces.
“They can win matches without much possession. They're a really smart team and we have to perform well to win the game.
“We study the team to prepare for this game. Like I said, sometimes it's a team that's a little bit different in Europe.
“Without so much possession, they can score from set-pieces, with one striker who is really fast in transition.
“[David] Miculescu, left foot, is really strong. The two centre-backs are very strong on duels and the two full-backs go up and down until the 90 minutes.
“We'll be prepared for that, I'm sure my team are prepared to fight for the win."
FCSB line-up versus Man Utd
FCSB XI: Tarnovanu; Popescu, Ngezana, Dawa; Cretu, Edjouma, Sut, Radunovic; Tanase, Birlgea, Miculescu
Subs: Udrea, Stefanescu, Popa, Chiriches, Toma, Baluta, Pantea, Musi, Alhassan
Manchester United line-up to face FCSB
Man Utd XI: Bayindir; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez; Dalot, Mainoo, Collyer, Malacia; Eriksen, Fernandes; Hojlund
Subs: Heaton, Onana, Lindelof, Maguire, Yoro, Casemiro, Ugarte, Amad, Garnacho, Zirkzee
Current standings
Manchester United sit fourth in the Europa League table with 15 points from their seven games.
FCSB are slightly further behind in eighth on 14 points.
A win for either side will see them secure an automatic place in the last-16 while defeat for either side could mean they end up on a play-off round.
Amorim tells Rashford what he must do to stay at Manchester United
Ruben Amorim has admitted Manchester United need a player like Marcus Rashford but says the forward “has to change” and meet his standards to have a future with the club.
Seven weeks have passed since Rashford last played for the Red Devils and his wait continues.
The forward trained with his team-mates on the eve of their match against FCSB, but was omitted from the 21-man squad seeking to secure a last-16 spot in Romania.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday (29 January), Amorim said: “When I feel that it is the right moment, I will put any player to play and, I will say it again, we are a better team with Marcus Rashford.”
Ruben Amorim claims he will put 63-year-old goalkeeping coach in Man Utd squad before Marcus Rashford
Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim revealed that the reason for Marcus Rashford’s continued absence from the matchday squad is the lack of effort he is seeing in training and said he will put 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital on the bench before the England international.
Rashford, who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford during the January transfer window, has not featured for United since a 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League back in December.
Amorim will put 63-year-old goalkeeping coach in Man Utd squad before Rashford
'Our focus is on the players we have'
Despite rumours linking the club with the likes of Mathys Tel, Ruben Amorim says he is focused on improving the current members of the Man Utd squad.
“Our focus is to work with the players that we have,” Amorim added.
“I think it is clear we can improve as a team, all of us, if we have time to train and if we put some wins together. So, it will be so much easier.
“We had so many games compared to training, that is how, for me, it is the biggest problem to start [my job] in the middle of a season, especially, in that moment, with a lot of games.”
Amorim on United's transfer policy
As the January transfer window is still open, Ruben Amorim was asked how Manchester United will deal with potentialy incomings and outgoings.
He said: “This window is always really, really difficult and we don't want to make the mistakes of the past.
“We have to also understand the situation of the club. A lot of things are changing so we have to be careful in this type of window.
“You guys know the situation of the club at the moment, so it's nothing new.”
United's Europa League campain
Manchester United have won four Europa League games in a row.
They beat PAOK, Bodo/Glimt, Viktoria Plzen, and Rangers last time out.
Another victory would match their record run of five, set during the 2022/23 group stage.
Can Man Utd’s unexpected new coach turn Ruben Amorim players into ‘mad dogs’?
The football world wasn’t ready for Sir Clive Woodward when he joined Southampton as performance director in 2005.
Two years after masterminding England’s Rugby World Cup glory, Woodward arrived at St Mary’s to much ridicule, summed up by a newspaper cartoon which depicted two players lifting up striker Peter Crouch like a second row catching a rugby lineout.
Woodward later said, on seeing the cartoon: “My immediate thought was, ‘Can you do that? Can you actually lift someone up?’”
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