Speaking after his side's 2-1 Europa League win over Rangers, with a Premier League clash away to Fulham already on the horizon, Ruben Amorim has called for togetherness from his Man United squad.
On the night, captain Bruno Fernandes rescued the win late on with a stoppage-time winner, just minutes after the visitors had equalised.
Amorim was quizzed on whether this is proof of a togetherness and belief that could prove crucial in the weeks and months ahead.
"It also depends on the leadership of the coach. I'm a lot like that [wanting togetherness] and I think we need that to create that feeling of belonging, [but] for that we also need time to train because to stay together, that is really important," he said.
"And then we don't have that [closeness] like sleeping [together] before the matches. Sometimes that [level of] detail is really important. Pre-season, spending like three weeks together creating something, and then you want to create something new.
The players, I want them to know me in a different way. Not always preparing the matches with stress. We don't have the time to do that. So I think it's really important and I think it's the secret of [great] teams.
"Even when you have the best players, if you don't have that feeling, it's really hard to win. So I want to build something like that here, but we need time for that."
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Casemiro's lack of playing time
Veteran midfielder Casemiro has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League in recent months and has been an unused substitute in 10 of Man United's last 13 matches.
When asked why the Brazilian has failed to be given opportunities in the team of late, Amorim insisted that "characteristics" determine selection.
"He has to have the characteristics, and then I have to choose the player with characteristics that I see the game [suiting]. So it's just that. I have to make some choices," he said.
"I want to play a style of game that sometimes is different from other coaches and I have to choose the [team] based on that. That's all."
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Team news
Defensive duo Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt were both substituted early in the win over Rangers, and Amorim was unable to confirm whether the paur will be available for Sunday's trip to Craven Cottage.
He said: "I don't know, Leny has a pain. I think Matthijs was a bruise, Leny was a little bit tired. He's playing more in this moment. So we have to be really careful. We'll see. I don't know."
Amorim was also asked about Luke Shaw's progress as he looks to return to match fitness.
Asked if he will be able to play again within two weeks, Amorim said: "Oh no. He's going to be fit to train with the team [within two weeks]. And we have to start with small minutes. We don't have a lot of time to train. We have to put some in some exercises in 10 minutes.
"Then he has to make extra work to improve his fitness. So I don't know. It's two weeks to start training to start thinking about putting in the few minutes."
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Bruno Fernandes
A familiar script, Fernandes was the hero at Old Trafford on Thursday, netting the winning goal deep into stoppage time with a superb strike.
When asked about the quality and performances of his captain, Amorim could do little to hide his delight.
"He's a top player. And then people talk a lot about his frustration and sometimes it's not a good thing to see, but you have to see the other side, when you are under pressure," he said.
"[He is] always the guy that wants the ball, [he] is always available and that is so important, especially in the Premier League. And then he can run and he runs a lot, he fights a lot. So you have two sides and I have to help him to manage both situations."
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Marcus Rashford
As speculation over Marcus Rashford's Man United future mounts, Amorim offered little assurance that he will still be at the club by the end of the January transfer window.
He did, however, suggest that he will reintegrate Rashford into the team if he does remain with the Red Devils this month.
"I don't know [if he will stay]. [There are] eight days [left of the transfer window], eight days," he said.
"We'll see at the end of the window what happens. And then we talk about that [reintegrating him] in the moment."
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The goalkeeper battle
With Andre Onana facing criticism in recent weeks, not helped by his high-profile blunder against Brighton on Sunday, when Man United lost 3-1, the Cameroonian was benched for the Rangers triumph.
Altay Bayındır was given another chance to impress between the sticks, but Amorim insisted that this was always his plan, irrespective of recent performances.
He said: "It's always a even fight [between the goalkeepers]. But this was rotation [which] was prepared. The rotation was done, everything was prepared and we deal with that normally.
"So we were thinking that to have two really good goalkeepers, they need time to play, they need the space in the team."
