'We can feel it' - Ruben Amorim pleased as Manchester United continue to show improvement

United made it three wins out of three by beating Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday.

ON THE UP: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is pleased with their improvement.

Premier League: Manchester United 4 Brighton & Hove Albion 2.

THE irony was not lost on Ruben Amorim, as he saw his Manchester United team soar into the top four of the Premier League on Saturday evening, but occupying the Champions League qualifying places was a stark reminder of the benefits he is currently enjoying by NOT playing in Europe.

Last season, one of United’s many problems - a lot of them self-inflicted by Amorim himself - was balancing league requirements with a run to the Europa League Final.

The result was United’s worst league season in half a century and defeat to Tottenham in the final meant that, for just the second time since English clubs were re-admitted to Europe in 1990, the Reds would not be playing overseas this season.

The result? Less stress on the playing and travel schedule and more time on the training ground where, perhaps after a run of three straight wins for the first time on Amorim’s watch, the coach’s methods are starting to seep through to his under-performing players.

“I think that you can sense that,” said Amorim.

“And the results now, we can feel it. Since we started this season, the team has played so much better compared to last season. We have different players, more suited to this type of style, but it is a big difference.

“Every team that plays in this league and has to play in Europe is so much harder. And we felt that last year. I said the same last year, it’s a big advantage to have just one game per week and we have to take advantage of that.”

Certainly, the task of integrating new signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha into the starting line-up has been made easier by that extra practice time.

Yes, Benjamin Sesko remains a worrying work in progress as the orthodox number nine United have so sorely missed for so long, but behind him, Cunha and Mbeumo, with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in support, are looking a potent attacking force.

“We’re drawing up the link-ups between each other. It hasn't been easy, obviously, because we all came this year and we try to build up the connection in the training and obviously in the games,” said Mbeumo.

“I think we try to work on the connection in the training with everyone. Obviously, we try to grow the link-ups and we try to replicate it in the games.”

Cunha claimed his first goal for the club to open the scoring against a Brighton team that had won its last three league visits to Old Trafford and Mbeumo added two more to take his tally for the season to four in the Premier League.

That is already halfway to matching last season’s top league scorers - Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo, each with eight - and, after scoring 20 last season with Brentford, it does not sound outrageous to speculate that the Cameroon international could become the first United player since Robin van Persie in 2012-13 to reach that tally.

“Yes, I always try to aim big in everything I do,” he said. “I try to not set limits on myself, on what I can reach. I'm just going to work and try to do as best as possible.”

Still, despite the impressive efforts of those two signings, and goalkeeper Senne Lammens, whose arrival in the line-up has coincided precisely with United’s three-match winning run, there are warning signs for Amorim.

With Harry Maguire out through injury, and Mason Mount left to sit on the bench for the same reason, Amorim was denied two players who have played a key role in recent successes.

In their absence, as United looked to game manage their way to victory, a 3-0 lead soon became 3-2, with five minutes remaining in added time, until Mbeumo’s second goal made the win look far more comfortable than it had in fact been over the closing stages.

“We had to suffer in the end, but it wouldn’t be Man United if we didn’t’ suffer a little bit,” said Amorim, trying to force a smile.

But the fact remains that substitutes like Patrick Dorgu, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte can hardly be relied upon, as the closing stages against Brentford proved.

With that extra training time on their hands, the onus is now on Amorim to oversee the same sort of dramatic improvement he has helped bring about in Casemiro, whose assist and goal in the first half were crucial to the win.

It is a far cry from two years ago, when the Brazilian’s United career appeared over.

“He's an example for everyone,” said Amorim.

“He was behind in the beginning, every midfielder, even Toby (Collyer), but he fought and he worked. And now he's back in the national team. He is so experienced and so important for us. Today, he ran a lot, he had to press so high and then return and he's doing that.

“So, I'm really pleased with him, and the other guys need to look at Casemiro. We understand that football can change really fast. You just need to work for me. If you are the best one, or I think you are the best one to play the game, you are going to play the game if you do the right things.”

MAN UTD (3-4-2-1): Lammens 7; Yoro 5, de Ligt 6, Shaw 7 (Heaven 65, 6); Diallo 5, Casemiro 8 (Mainoo 70, 5), Fernandes 7, Dalot 5 (Dorgu 70, 5); Mbeumo 9, Cunha 8 (Ugarte 81) - Sesko 5 (Zirkzee 82).

BRIGHTON (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen 7; Wieffer 5 (Tzimas 87), van Hecke 5, Dunk 5, De Cuyper 5 (Watson 59, 5); Baleba 5 (Milner 59, 5), Ayari 5 (Gomez 60 5); Kadioglu 5, Rutter 6 (Kostoulas 79), Minteh 6; Welbeck 8.

Referee: A Taylor 5.