Ruben Amorim explained his decision that puzzled fans after substituting Casemiro while Manchester United was still under intense pressure from Newcastle.
On 27 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Ruben Amorim, manager of Manchester United, clarified the decision that confused fans at Old Trafford after he took Casemiro off the field in the 60th minute of the Premier League home match where United narrowly beat Newcastle United 1-0.
This moment drew much scrutiny because although Man Utd led, the visitors kept pressing aggressively, while Casemiro was performing well—controlling the midfield and breaking up Newcastle's attacks multiple times.
However, Amorim firmly stated that this substitution was not related to the congested match schedule but was a tactical decision based on the on-field situation.
"Not at all, this is the most important game," Amorim said.
"At that moment, I did not want to substitute Matheus Cunha because I felt he was the only player helping the team to breathe, so I moved him to the number 10 position."
The Portuguese coach further explained that player freshness was a key factor.
"Jack Fletcher was still fresh enough to continue, while Manuel Ugarte was fresher than Casemiro."
"We had to take a risk because they started launching frequent runs from corners, and I felt Casemiro might struggle with that situation."
In the end, Amorim's decision paid off as Manchester United relied on disciplined defense and solidity late in the game to hold the 1-0 score and secure the crucial three points in front of their fans at the Theatre of Dreams.