Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim has explained why he substituted Casemiro over other players during their 1-0 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day.

The Red Devils were missing a number of key players with Bruno Fernandes injured, while Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and?Noussair Mazraoui were all missing.

A brilliant volley from Patrick Dorgu settled the match as Man Utdtook all three points at Old Trafford to move up to fifth in the Premier League table, ahead of Saturday’s fixtures.

With Man Utd captain Fernandes absent through injury, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte started as their central midfield pairing with Amorim bringing Leny Yoro on for the Brazilian on 61 minutes.

Casemiro didn’t look too impressed by Amorim’s decision to take him off with the 33-year-old pointing to himself as the substitution board was held up.

And when asked to explain why be brought off Casemiro over other players, Amorim told reporters: “In that moment I did not want to take [Matheus] Cunha because he’s the only guy who can allow us to breathe and I put him in a No.10.

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“Jack [Fletcher] was fresh to continue, Manu [Ugarte] was fresher than Casemiro, we took a chance because they were making a lot of corner runs and I feel he was going to struggle in that moment.”

During Sky Sports commentary, Gary Neville was stunned that Amorim had chosen to take Casemiro off, he said: “He [Casemiro] can’t believe it.

“I’m surprised, I am really surprised. I thought [Joshua] Zirkzee would’ve come on for Ugarte and Jack Fletcher would have gone back one [into midfield].

“That is a surprise, I’m shocked, maybe it’s a back five, I’m not sure what it is, maybe it’s a back six, it looks like it. I thought the shape of the team was actually okay.

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“Look, Newcastle were on top anyway, I don’t want to be a pessimist if you’re a Manchester United fan watching, but I’d be surprised if this goes well in the next half hour because they look all at sea now, I’m really not sure about those substitutions.”

On the performance of matchwinner Dorgu, Amorim added:?“Because you put him in one position that is more in front. The responsibility is not the same. He had a little more freedom, he can take more risks, and I think it helped Patrick to play better.

“They just need to understand, and Manu [Manuel Ugarte] did a very good game today, they must understand that, sometimes, you can have a good day and the next day can be worse. You have to deal with that and train well and to go forward.”