Man United team-mates Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo involved in furious on-pitch row after win over Viktoria Plzen – but Ruben Amorim insists ‘it’s a healthy thing’

Ruben Amorim was delighted with the failure of Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo after the match in the Czech Republic, as the head coach of Manchester United saw the fire he expects from his players.

After defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest were made worse by the shock departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth, the Red Devils lifted the mood on Thursday with a 2-1 Europa League comeback win against Viktoria Plzen.

Andre Onana’s mistake allowed ex-Burnley striker Matej Vydra to put the hosts ahead early in the second half, but United substitute Hojlund quickly leveled before firing home two minutes from time to mark Amorim’s first away win as United boss to secure.

But the two-goal match winner’s overriding emotion at full-time was frustration at being denied the chance to score a hat-trick in stoppage time when Diallo opted to go alone rather than cross.

At another break moments later, Hojlund opted not to go forward, leading to an argument at the final whistle that the recently appointed Amorim took positively.

“Yes (I knew that), and for me it’s perfect,” said United’s head coach.

After their victory over Viktoria Plzen, the United stars protested with each other on the pitch

“You know, right now we need to feel something. When we have to fight each other, it’s like a family. For me it’s a very, very good sign. We have to feel something and that’s important.’

When you say it to the Portuguese it shows that the players care about them, he said: “That’s clear.

“If you don’t care, you don’t do anything. If you care, you fight with your brother, with your father, with your mother. For me it is a very good sign.

‘It’s normal. I think it’s something positive, something healthy, so I let the players and the captain calm things down.

‘If I see it’s too much, I go to the dressing room. But it is their space, they have to talk, fight and again, for me it is very important.’

Thursday’s win took United a big step towards the knockout stages of the Europa League and increased their chances of finishing in the top eight, meaning they would bypass the play-off round.

It was a welcome boost ahead of Sunday’s trip to stumbling rivals Manchester City and another step forward as Amorim looks to build a side in his image.

Hojlund said he was upset about a pass Diallo didn’t play that night

Ruben Amorim later suggested that the row was ‘normal’ in football

“At this moment, in this context, the way we give a goal to the opponent, it was important not to give up,” he said.

‘That’s a great message. It wasn’t a great game, but we managed to do these good things, which is good when you’re building a team and I think we deserved the win.

‘I’m happy that we win the match and still fight with each other. That’s a very good thing.

“If you win and fight with your teammate because you want to score one more, then for me it’s a really good day for us.”