Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim admitted his side may “need the boos” after they suffered a 1-0 defeat to ASEAN All-Stars in the first fixture of their post-season tour.
Harry Maguire captained the side as first-teamers Casemiro, Patrick Dorgu, Andre Onana, Ayden Heaven, Diogo Dalot, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund all started for United in Kuala Lumpur.
Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, Jonny Evans and Amad Diallo were among 11 changes at half-time with the score locked at 0-0, but Maung Maung Lwin netted a 71st-minute winner for the South-East Asia XI to inflict another defeat on Amorim’s struggling side.
United were booed in parts for their lacklustre display by those in attendance and, reacting to his side’s reception in the Malaysian capital, Amorim said: “I’m always guilty of the performance of the team, no matter what. Since I’ve been here from the first day, I am guilty. The boos from the fans is something that we need, maybe. Because every game we lost in the Premier League, they [fans] were always there [supporting].
“It’s like the way of playing, if they see that it’s not working, they will change the way they behave. But I felt when we finished and walked away, the supporters were with us. But, again, let’s wait for the next season.”
Amorim described United’s season as “disastrous” after they finished 15th in the Premier League and lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final – and their poor form continued at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Garnacho played the entire second half amid doubts over his future at the club, as did Fernandes, who has attracted interest from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.
A host of academy youngsters were given minutes which will be seen as the only positive from the defeat in front of a crowd of 72,550, more than 6,000 miles away from Old Trafford.
United will play another friendly in Hong Kong on Friday for their final fixture of the tour which is reportedly set to earn the club £8m.
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Amorim says he is already excited about what the club can achieve next season and that a lack of European football could prove to be an advantage in 2025/26
Berrada: Man Utd have ambitious transfer plans
Chief executive Omar Berrada said before the friendly defeat that United will balance “ambition” with the need to be “prudent” in the transfer market.
United’s defeat to Spurs meant they missed out on silverware and Champions League qualification worth an estimated £100m, and the club have wasted little time trying to improve Amorim’s side with Wolves forward Matheus Cunha set to sign.
It could start a busy summer in terms of incomings and outgoings at Old Trafford, with chief executive Berrada confident about United’s plans.
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Ruben Amorim was tight-lipped about Matheus Cunha’s transfer from Wolves to Manchester United
“I can’t talk about specifics, but I can say that we’ve been planning for many months now,” he told MUTV. “We were ready for all the different scenarios, so now we know what we need to do.
“We have a very clear idea of where we need to invest in the squad to improve, so (technical director) Jason (Wilcox), his team, Ruben have been in talks for many months.
“Now it’s a question of executing that plan and doing it in a way that is prudent but at the same time with ambition.”
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Amorim appeals to Manchester United fans to continue their support after apologising for their ‘disaster season’ – promising ‘good days are coming’
United’s defeat in Malaysia came a week to the day since their Europa League final loss in Spain and just three days on from beating Aston Villa 2-0 in their Premier League finale at Old Trafford.
Amorim told fans that “the good days are coming” as the head coach apologised for a wretched campaign during an impassioned end-of-season address.
United chief executive Berrada said: “Ruben spoke really well on Sunday and he’s right: the past is the past.
“It’s important to learn. Now we need to stay together, stay united and I can only say again thank you to the fans.
“The owner has also been very supportive in this transition year and now we just need to work really hard and do everything we can to bring the club back to the top.
“I’m very excited about what’s coming ahead of us. Like Ruben said, now we just need to work really hard as a unit, as a club and I’m sure the good days will be back, as he said.”
Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season
From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.
