Ruben Amorim challenges Amad Diallo to continue to raise his game

RUBEN AMORIM HAS challenged Amad Diallo to keep improving after the 22-year-old scored a dramatic 12-minute hat-trick to help Manchester United snatch a 3-1 victory over Premier League basement boys Southampton in a dramatic finish at Old Trafford.

For 80 minutes, all the problems United had suffered during a run of four straight defeats during December resurfaced as a Saints side with only one win all season created the better chances and deservedly led through a Manuel Ugarte own goal late in the first half.

United’s positive momentum from a 2-2 draw away to league leaders Liverpool and an FA Cup penalty shoot-out victory at Arsenal was slipping away until Diallo intervened, levelling in the 82nd minute before scoring again in the 90th minute and the third minute of time added on.

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The Ivorian, who signed a new five-and-a-half year contract last week, had already come up with a dramatic winner at Manchester City last month before scoring the equaliser at Anfield, and this was another huge contribution, but Amorim is keen not to get carried away before Brighton visit on Sunday.

“I didn’t say anything to him, I will tell him tomorrow,” he said. “But he has to rest, eat good and prepare for Sunday because we will need him again. He did a great job, it’s a great moment for a young kid to score a hat-trick for a club like this. But he needs to focus on the next match already…

“The important thing is to win and he helped us to win. He’s doing a very good season. I’ve already said, you have to be careful with young kids. He did a really good job today.

“He has a lot to improve but this game is in the past and you have to prepare for the future. Football is like this and life is like this.”

Though there were celebrations at the end, this was another concerning performance from United, who have done well against stronger opposition when less is expected of them, but struggled to impose themselves on lesser opposition.

Part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was among those watching inside Old Trafford, and will not have enjoyed what he saw for much of the night.

“I had five minutes with him to talk about different things about the game,” Amorim said.

“It was not a good game but in the end the result helped the conversation. Today was more important to win. I know the fans want to see much better football than this. I want to see better football than this but we need time. To win time we need to win games and we did that today.”