139 touches, 114 passes – Rúben Amorim admits he’s blown away by “incredible” Manchester United superstar

Rúben Amorim has admitted that he was blown away by an “incredible” Manchester United star as they defeated Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.

Rúben Amorim secured his first win as Manchester United manager with an entertaining 3-2 victory over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday night.

United got off to a flying start at Old Trafford, with Alejandro Garnacho scoring in the very first minute, capitalising on Rasmus Højlund’s relentless pressing.

Read More: “Modern way of coaching” – Insiders reveal key change Ruben Amorim has made at Man Utd training ground

The visitors, however, turned the tide with two quick goals, leaving Amorim’s side trailing after just 25 minutes. But just before the interval, Højlund brought United level with a moment of magic, showing exquisite control before smashing home.

In the second half, United regained the lead through Højlund’s second of the night, the result of a brilliant move involving Mason Mount and a perfectly timed assist from Manuel Ugarte.

Bodo/Glimt fought hard for an equaliser, but André Onana produced a string of spectacular saves late on to secure a well-earned win for Amorim and a second Europa League triumph for United this season.

Mazraoui the superstar

Noussair Mazaroui has been arguably one of United’s best players this season, and only Onana has been able to match the Moroccan international during the opening months of a turbulent 2024/25 campaign.

The 27-year-old’s brilliance was on display against Bodo/Glimt again as he shone in a right centre-back role, with Amorim once again praising the “incredible” star.

“He’s an incredible player, he’s our future,” the 39-year-old gushed on Mazraoui during his post-match interviews.

“He played in different positions, he looks always fresh but we have to be careful. There’s a lot of games but he’s here to stay. This kind of player is what we need.”

Incredible statistics

Against Bodo/Glimt, Mazraoui once again completed over 100 passes across the 90 minutes, successfully making 114 of his 119 attempted efforts, eclipsing the 105 he made against Ipswich Town on the weekend.

He also assisted Højlund’s first goal, winning the ball back on the edge of the final third before dribbling past two players to loft a perfect cross for the Danish international to control and finish in style.

He had a total of 139 touches, the most of anyone on the field, with only Matthijs de Ligt, his defensive partner, also hitting over 100 touches during the game.

Despite playing at centre-back, he created three chances on the night, earning a 9/10 rating for this performance. He proved once again that the £12.8 million transfer fee United paid for him is an utter bargain.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.