Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has spoken about his two major tweaks for the Premier League trip to Newcastle. Goalkeeper Andre Onana didn’t travel for the game after a nightmare evening in Lyon on Thursday, while teenager Harry Amass earned a first Premier League start on the left.
Onana has come under scrutiny for a few high-profile errors this season, but had so far kept his place. Instead, though, it was Altay Bayindir who got the nod at St James’ Park.
“He deserved this opportunity,” Amorim said of Bayindir. “He’s doing quite well, he did really well in the cup, then he had the injury. He’s played in all competitions for our club and now it’s time to play in the Premier League. So it’s a normal situation.”
On Amass, he said: “I think he’s doing the right things. He’s training quite well, and when you have situations when you have to rotate some players, they deserve the opportunity but they have to show. So no big pressure on him. He knows what to do, he needs to enjoy [himself] and it’s a good game for him to feel what it’s like playing for Manchester United.”
Amass only made his Premier League debut as a substitute against Leicester in March, speaking of the “incredible experience”. He added: “I’m just proud at the moment and I think my family will be proud of me, everyone watching at home. I’m just grateful for the opportunity and hopefully there’s many more to come.
“It all just fell on the right day, with the 18th birthday, so it’s not a bad one, is it? When I found out I was very excited. I was warming up down there and got the nod and that’s when it was real.”
Onana has been given the afternoon off after United a win in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final in France. He spilled a shot at the feet of Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, leaving the tie delicately poised ahead of the return game at Old Trafford.
“I think this is the worst moment to concede a goal like that,” United defender Leny Yoro admitted to TNT Sports. “We were winning 2-1, I think away this was a good score but we go with a draw and we try to win the game at home. We defended really well but they are a good team, [have] a good striker, so we need to be ready for everything but unfortunately we concede the goal.”
Amorim insisted his team would take things one game as a time rather than dwelling on Onana’s error. “When one player has a mistake, all the team has a mistake, so we continue like that,” he said.
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