Win can't hide deep issues Amorim faces at United

A victory snatched from the jaws of defeat should give a new manager hope that there is fight among his charges, that the future is bright.

- PETE HALL

Not for Ruben Amorim. Rasmus Hojlund stepped off the bench to fire Manchester United to a lofty fifth in the Europa League standings – heady heights indeed – but the performance on a bitterly cold night in Plzen was worrying in the extreme.

Amorim became only the third United manager to win both of his first two matches in major European competition in charge of the club, after Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson, as his side picked up their first away success in Europe since March 2023.

That, however, is where the positives end. United returned to their uninterested, fragile selves to stutter over the line against a vastly inferior Viktoria Plzen – another stark reminder of where the club is at. The insipid spectacle on show certainly ruined a fun afternoon supporters had been having around the city of beer.