What Ruben Amorim told Manchester United fans after Arsenal win shows they have the right manager

There was a welcome party for Manchester United even when they landed at Manchester Airport just before 10pm last night.

It was a school night but some parents still allowed their children to stay up and brave the chill to catch a glimpse of the players returning to their vehicles. None of them stopped. Ruben Amorim did.

The fans asked Amorim why the players drove on. They were very tired, Amorim stressed, and needed to sleep ahead of Southampton's visit on Thursday.

Immediately turning to the next one is a trait Sir Alex Ferguson practically pioneered. Amorim is demonstrating his United managerial credentials every week.

Southampton are bound for the Championship and could be remembered as the worst team in the Premier League era. Any notion that United will underestimate them has already been dispelled by Amorim. They will have been on his mind on the coach that left the Emirates Stadium, on the short flight and the shorter drive to his home.

For the first time in weeks, United will go into a game expected to win. That is a baby step and with it comes added pressure. This team has performed superbly in contrasting circumstances at two of the most testing grounds on the continent. They daren't ease up against a club slowly plunging into the relegation quicksands.

The 7,956 United followers who were in the expanded away end at the Emirates Stadium had much to celebrate beyond the penalty shootout triumph on their journeys home over cans of beer. Altay Bayindir and Joshua Zirkzee's comebacks, Matthijs de Ligt's best performance, Harry Maguire's remarkable recovery, Manuel Ugarte's truculence, Toby Collyer's industry, Amad's impact.

Amorim managed an onerous situation flawlessly after Diogo Dalot was sent off. Amad,