by Ruben Amorim was touched by his special welcome at Old Trafford and said he already felt a sense of belonging after overseeing a messy first victory as Manchester United head coach.
After starting his reign with Sunday’s 1-1 draw against promoted Ipswich, the 39-year-old Portuguese led the home side for the first time in Thursday’s Europa League group win over Norwegians Bodo/ Glimt.
United got off to a blistering start as Alejandro Garnacho capitalized on goalkeeper Nikita Haikin’s early error, only for Bodo to take a surprise lead thanks to goals from Hakon Evjen and Philip Zinckernagel.
Rasmus Hojlund equalized with a fine volley just before the break and scored another shortly after half-time to secure a 3-2 triumph and Amorim’s first victory on their first outing at Old Trafford.
“It was special because half the stadium doesn’t know me,” the United manager said. “You could say I’m from Portugal, and half the stadium doesn’t know me.
“I haven’t done anything for this club yet, but the way they supported me in the beginning made me feel like I wasn’t alone.
“I’m like one of them now, and that was really special.” I hope not to disappoint my supporters.
“I think we have improved a few things since the last game. I know it’s a different competition, a different team, but we’re getting better with the ball.
“We control the tempo more with the ball, we push the team a little higher, we create more chances.
“We should kill the game before the end of the match. You undergo two transitions. I think we need to improve that because it was like racing, it was like a physical thing, one on one.
“You have to improve on that, but I like some things the team did today.”
Amorim made six changes from Sunday’s Premier League draw at Ipswich, including bringing Hojlund into the starting line-up.
The 21-year-old striker has failed to shine consistently since arriving from Atalanta in 2023 and doubled his tally for the season with two impressive finishes against Bodo.
“I think he made the connection better,” Amorim said of Hojlund. “I think he needs to improve more because sometimes he gives too many touches when he holds the ball.
“But it’s very important for us because when we’re in the low block, he’s the one holding the ball. He connects for transitions. He did that very well, he has those characteristics.
“He was aggressive in goal, he was aggressive in the box and he’s a quality player.
“I think he scores the most difficult goals, so he has a lot to improve, as is the same for all players, but he did a great job today.”
Bodo made life difficult for Amorim’s new-look United at a waiting Old Trafford.
Cheered on by 6,500 traveling fans, they return home knowing that victory against Lillestrom on Sunday will seal a fourth Norwegian title in five years.
“They are a very well-worked team, so they know each other very well,” Amorim said of Bodo.
“You can understand that if you see the goals. It was one touch, so they have time that we don’t have to work together.
“They have a lot of power speed. With the transitions, we feel in the game that they have a lot of power and it was a difficult match in that regard, but we controlled the tempo of the ball very well.
“We held the ball for so long that we were in control and were able to deal with that, so they’re a great team. I think they’re going to win the championship again, so it was a tough game.
