“Anything can happen”: Ruben Amorim refuses to rule out replacing Rasmus Hojlund with Chido Obi going forward | OneFootball

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has refused to rule out the possibility of replacing struggling striker Rasmus Hojlund with Chido Obi moving forward.

Amorim addressed this after United were dumped out of the FA Cup by Fulham on Sunday at Old Trafford.

United were beaten on penalties following a 1-1 draw. Marco Silva’s men went ahead through Calvin Bassey from another set-piece in the first-half but Bruno Fernandes levelled the scoring with 19 minutes of regular time left on the clock.

A shootout was needed to separate the two sides and ultimately, the Cottagers prevailed, with Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee missing from the penalty spot.

It means the FA Cup will have a new champion, now that United’s defence is over.

Hojlund was named in the starting XI but he failed to justify his selection yet again, struggling before he was taken off and replaced by Chido Obi.

Obi was significantly better and not only came close to getting on the score sheet but also troubled Bassey throughout the time he was on the pitch. The 17-year-old held up the ball well, linked up brilliantly with the other forwards and got into very good positions.

During the 52 minutes he was on the pitch, Obi had three big chances. In comparison, Hojlund has been presented with as many big chances in 22 Premier League matches this season.

In his post-match presser, Amorim gave his verdict on the result against Fulham and also discussed whether Obi could be starting games sooner than expected.

“I think we started quite well…with good possession, controlling the game but we cannot maintain that for the entire game. Sometimes we drop the lines to feel more comfortable, trying to use transition. I think during the game we created the best chances. Sometimes we didn’t control the game with the ball but in the end, with the penalties, anything can happen and today was not our day.”

On why Lindelof was selected to take the penalty ahead of other attacking players, Amorim answered, “No, he was really confident to take a shot. He’s training really well and scoring in training, so it was an obvious chance.”

Asked whether he could make a change in the lineup and drop Hojlund for Obi, Amorim replied, “Anything can happen in the next games…during training although we don’t have a lot of time to train. We need to see the opposition, feel the moment of the player physically because we have a lot of games, cause we’re going to start playing on Thursdays and Sundays.”

“Anything can happen but I will focus on just the next game rather than in that way…like I’m going to change the striker. I will choose the best players to win the next match.”

“We have a problem with goals. Today we create situations but even in the last games, sometimes you felt even in the set-pieces we’d create some danger.”

“So I think the first step is to create situations. Today we created them but we have to improve and help our forwards and strikers to score.”

Amorim said that he’ll make a determination on whether or not Harry Maguire will play on Thursday after understanding his fitness state. Maguire was withdrawn before extra time with an injury and replaced by Ayden Heaven, who was solid at the back on his United debut.

On crashing out of the FA Cup, Amorim remarked, “It’s always hard because you always have the cups when the league is not going in the right direction but we need to focus on the big goal: improving the team not just this season but also for next season.”

On Garnacho and the fact he hasn’t scored since November, Amorim stated, “I think you can feel that he has like a little bit that knock in the knee. He’s good in transitions and we need that in the team sometimes. He’s creating and trying to go one against one – another thing we lack in this squad.”

“So I think he’s training well and he did well today, so he has to be ready for the next match.”

Amorim was asked about Andre Onana’s propensity to delay the restart from goal kicks, which has at times, frustrated supporters.

“It’s also frustrating for Andre. I think he’s trying to read the time. Sometimes you felt the team was so tired…we played the last game with one less player and I feel he’s gaining that time for us to rest a little bit, to go for the second ball and to push the team forward. So I think he’s trying to help the team and not the opposite.”

United are back in action on Thursday when they face Real Sociedad in the round of 16 of the Europa League.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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