Ruben Amorim made his feelings perfectly clear on two Manchester United players after the Red Devils lost their opening Premier League match of the new season.
Manchester United returned to Premier League action on Sunday and the Red Devils hosted Arsenal at Old Trafford in their first encounter of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Red Devils came up short on the weekend against the Gunners, despite United’s strong overall performance against Arsenal in front of the Old Trafford faithful.
United were left chasing the match against Arsenal after Riccardo Calafiori broke the deadlock for the Gunners in the 13th minute from a Declan Rice corner.
The Red Devils did everything in their power to fight back and were lively in attack, but ultimately Ruben Amorim watched United fall short of securing an equaliser.
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Ruben Amorim instructs Benjamin Sesko as the Manchester United striker comes on during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford in 2025 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
What Ruben Amorim had to say about Andre Onana after Man Utd’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal
Altay Bayindir found himself in the spotlight after he was at fault for Riccardo Calafiori’s winner, with the Manchester United player palming the ball towards him.
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The 27-year-old Turkish shot-stopper was between the sticks and Altay Bayindir flapped at Declan Rice’s corner after he was under pressure from William Saliba.
Bayindir started the match ahead of Tom Heaton and Andre Onana was left out of the United first-team squad for Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal due to his injury.
Speaking after the match, United manager Amorim insisted that he had not dropped Andre Onana and did not play him because of his recent return from the sidelines.
“No, no, no, I didn’t drop Onana from the squad, I didn’t drop one of the other two from the squad,” he said at his post-match press conference, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“So it’s not the case of dropping Onana, it’s not putting Andre Onana with just one week [of training], without seeing a game, without time with training.
“And like you say, guys, like Tom and Altay during the pre-season, they did a good job.”
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Ruben Amorim speaks out on Rasmus Hojlund amid handing Benjamin Sesko his Man Utd debut vs Arsenal at Old Trafford
Rasmus Hojlund was not included in the United squad for the Premier League opener and the 22-year-old Dane is linked with an Old Trafford exit this summer.
The Denmark international’s future at the Premier League club has been plunged into doubt after Benjamin Sesko’s blockbuster move to United from RB Leipzig.
💬 "I'm really proud of the players… but it's hard to lose a game like this."
Ruben Amorim's post-match reaction 👇
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 17, 2025
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Amorim has now insisted that there is a “fight” for positions in his United XI after AC Milan-linked Rasmus Hojlund was not part of the team that lost to Arsenal.
“No, it’s a fight for the places, we’ll see what is going to happen on the market, different characteristics,” he explained.
“So, Rasmus has the same characteristics of Benjamin Sesko, so sometimes we need to choose.”
United will now travel to Craven Cottage for their first match away from home in the 2025-26 season, with the Red Devils facing Fulham on Sunday afternoon.