‘You have to be careful with kids’ – Ruben Amorim cautious with Amad Diallo praise

LONDON – Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim insisted that he must be careful not to lavish too much praise on Amad Diallo, after the attacker’s late hat-trick earned his team a 3-1 victory over Southampton at Old Trafford on Jan 16.

United were largely second best against the Saints, who are bottom of the English Premier League table, falling behind in the first half to a Manuel Ugarte own goal from a corner as they looked to be heading for a fourth successive home league defeat.

Diallo, however, single-handedly dragged his side to a much-needed win, becoming the second-youngest United player to score a league hat-trick after Wayne Rooney, with three goals in the final 12 minutes, inclusive of added time.

“The important thing is to win, and he helped us and he is doing a very good season,” Amorim said of Diallo, 22.

“But you have to be careful with the young kids. Congratulations to him, enjoy tonight and he needs to appreciate these moments. I will tell him tomorrow he has to rest, eat good food because Sunday (against Brighton & Hove Albion) we need him again.

“He did a great job, a good moment for a young kid to score a hat-trick for a club like this.”

The Ivory Coast international – United’s standout player this season – levelled in the 82nd minute, before putting the Red Devils ahead in the dying seconds of the 90th minute.

He was still not done, capitalising on an error from Taylor Harwood-Bellis to grab a third in stoppage time, giving the scoreline a skewed look.

It was cruel luck on a Southampton side battling to avoid finishing the season as the worst team in Premier League history, still with just one win to their name.

Ivan Juric’s men had deservedly taken the lead towards the end of the first half and had numerous chances to extend their advantage. But Diallo was once again the saviour for misfiring United following his winning goal at Manchester City and late equaliser against Liverpool in recent weeks.

“Today, we showed at the end we were the best team. I am so happy for the win today because this team deserves it. I am ready to play every position where the manager likes to put me,” Diallo told TNT Sports.

United had secured a morale-boosting FA Cup win at Arsenal on Jan 12, which followed a battling 2-2 draw at league leaders Liverpool. However, they had a point to prove to their home fans after three straight Premier League defeats underlined the huge rebuilding task facing new manager Amorim.

For most of the game, they failed to do that. Amorim did accept some blame for another poor display from his team, conceding that the recent combative performances at Liverpool and Arsenal took their toll.

“I have big expectations for all, trying to be really demanding but I also understand when they try it and cannot do it,” he added.

“The pressure of playing at home is harder than playing away. The demands of controlling the game against this opponent is harder.

“I need to improve the training and recovery of the players. We are tired, not just the body but the mind. It is a different game, we have to press more. If we don’t manage the ball for so long, we suffer.”

The win lifts United to 12th in the table and leaves Southampton 10 points from safety and looking doomed.

“We were like innocent kids in some moments and we lost the game that we controlled for 75 minutes,” Juric, still seeking his first win since arriving at Southampton in December, told the BBC.

In the other Premier League fixture on Jan 16, Brighton beat relegation-threatened Ipswich Town 2-0, with second-half goals from Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter. REUTERS, AFP