‘Rasmus Hojlund screams at Alejandro Garnacho in baffling Man United tantrum’
Rasmus Hojlund made his fury at teammate Alejandro Garnacho clear as Man United defeated Athletic Bilbao to book a place in the Europa League final.
The Red Devils headed into the semi-final second leg at Old Trafford with a 3-0 lead, with Casemiro and a Bruno Fernandes brace sinking the La Liga side last week in Spain.
While Ruben Amorim has seriously struggled at Man United since his arrival in November, few rivals actually expected Bilbao to complete a dramatic turnaround on Thursday, 8 May.
However, after Mikel Jauregizar rocketed home the opener to silence the Old Trafford crowd, tensions were clearly rising at Garnacho missed the best chance of the first half to restore his team’s lead.
Hojlund was involved in the build-up, finding Patrick Dorgu who spun and threaded the ball to the on-rushing Garnacho, who attempted an audacious chip but fired wide when clean through.
Despite halting his run way well before the Argentine’s miss, the United striker erupted in frustration as the Red Devils missed a chance to regain their three-goal lead at Old Trafford.
Alejandro Garnacho misses gilt-edge chance v Athletic Bilbao
Taking to X (8 May), ESPN’s Rob Dawson reported: “Hojlund was screaming at Garnacho after that miss. Not sure why. He stopped running and stood watching when Garnacho went through.”
It was a chance to net his 12th goal of the campaign across all competitions, currently boasting 21 goal contributions, but he could not bring that same form to his finishing against Bilbao.
In the end, it was not an important miss as goals from Casemiro and Hojlund, plus a Mason Mount brace, helped restore United’s lead and placed them firmly in the Europa League final to face Tottenham.
Ruben Amorim delighted as Man United advance in Europa League
Football Insider verdict
Amorim has been clinging to his job at Man United, with the Europa League likely the only thing keeping him from being sacked after such a dreadful first few months in England.
Despite some poor displays in the Premier League, seeing the Red Devils fall to 15th in the table, the former Sporting CP figure has a chance to lift silverware, and a major one at that.
| Man United | Athletic Bilbao |
| 52% possession | 48% possession |
| 11 shots (5 on target) | 11 shots (1 on target) |
| 2 big chances | 0 big chances |
| 10 fouls committed | 17 fouls committed |
| 0 corners | 2 corners |
The first half was not a convincing display at Old Trafford, but with a fantastic second-half showing, the United manager’s situation is looking that much more positive, especially with the state of the current squad.
The 40-year-old will be desperate to make additions to the squad during the summer transfer window, with Viktor Gyokeres likely to make the biggest impact at Man United if they can secure his signature.
Attacking and defending have both been issues for United this season, but with a transfer window on the horizon, Amorim has a massive chance to adapt the squad to his liking ahead of next term.