Ruben Amorim says Amad and Noussair Mazraoui will be absent from action this weekend.
Amorim was facing the press ahead of tomorrows Premier League match against Brentford and was asked about availability.
“Licha is out,” he replied. “Casemiro is out because of the red card. Amad is not here because someone in his family passed away. We are giving all the support to Amad and understood he needed to return home. [Mazraoui] is out also. He will not be back until the international break.”
Asked about Bryan Mbeumo’s return to the Gtech Stadium, Amorim replied:
“It’s really important for everything he has been doing. The light he brings to the dressing room. He is not the guy who talks, but he is always there to help us. He runs a lot, presses a lot, he is a different threat to last season. I’m more than happy with Bryan.”
In a follow-up question about signing the Cameroonian and Matheus Cunha from Premier League clubs, the boss responded:
“You can see that every player you want to be in the Premier League is really expensive. But if you look at our moments last year, you want to take the less risky move. It’s really important to have top players in our team.”
On the criticism Amad faced for posting a picture with Alejandro Garnacho on social media last week, Amorim said ‘I always say the same thing to my players: shut down social media. That is real nowadays it’s like that, it’s a price you have to pay. But the important thing is the club and the fans, that is real life for Amad and we are here for him.
“It’s a tough moment, in these kinds of moments it’s not important, the next game. We can win without Amad and we can win for Amad.”
On the task of winning back-to-back games, the head coach was asked if he is confident that his team can rise to the challenge.
“I don’t say playing well, because I think we have done that this year, but to say it’s normal, the fans don’t know what is going to happen the next game,”, he said.
“And to be completely honest, I have an idea, but I don’t know how it’s going to be and I’m the manager of the team. That has to be with the moment that we live for so many months.
“The best way of dealing with that is that every game is the last one. It’s about not thinking about two games.
“The next game is going to be the most important game for a long time in Manchester United. So I understand the feeling of the fans, so let’s start changing that feeling to present ourselves with that urgency that we need to do on the pitch.”
The embargoed section of the press conference will be available from around 10.30pm here tonight.
Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images
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Red Billy Red Billy is the managing editor of The Peoples Person, author of three books and totally obsessed with football’s transfer market. Billy still insists Matteo Darmian and Alex Telles could have made it at United given half a chance.
