Ruben Amorim defended Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, and Benjamin Sesko after Manchester United’s defeat to Aston Villa, insisting that individual struggles were down to tactical details and fitness rather than a lack of quality.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has jumped to the defense of Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, and Benjamin Sesko following the club’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Despite Yoro and Heaven struggling against the clinical Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins, and Sesko missing key chances on his first start back from injury, Amorim refused to lay blame.
The defeat left United seventh in the Premier League table heading into the Boxing Day fixtures.
The head coach highlighted the difficulty of defending elite attackers in isolation, specifically praising Rogers’ versatility.
Addressing the defensive lapses, Amorim explained:
“Sometimes we can suffer goals and concede. When you want to press and they kick the ball, Rogers can go both sides, it is really hard to defend a player like that one against one.” He argued that while the result was poor, “sometimes the details can change the narrative.”
Amorim also asked for patience regarding striker Benjamin Sesko, who is still building fitness after a knee injury.
The manager noted that Sesko is “returning to competition, really fast, he is going to improve a lot.”
Despite confirming that Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo will miss the Newcastle game, Amorim remained defiant regarding his squad’s resilience, stating: “Kobbie Mainoo is out, Bruno is out, so we’ll see. No excuses, we’ll try to win the next game.”