Ruben Amorim makes bold Rasmus Hojlund claim after Athletic Club display | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim declared Thursday night's thumping Europa League win over Athletic Club the best he has seen from under-fire striker Rasmus Hojlund.

United opened up a 3-0 semi-final aggregate lead to take back to Old Trafford next week, weathering some pressure in the first 30 minutes and then scoring three in quick succession before the break. The Red Devils took full advantage of Athletic Club being reduced to ten players.

It was the kind of ruthless and clinical performance that United fans have rarely seen in the Premier League this season, but have been more common in Europe.

Hojlund, who has been harshly pilloried by his critics in recent months, didn't get on the scoresheet himself. But the young Dane won the penalty that resulted in Dani Vivian's dismissal and generally contributed to all-round play that built foundations for others.

"It was the best game he had with me as coach," Amorim said. "He helped the team a lot. He secured the ball and made runs. It was a good moment for him."

Hojlund played a pivotal role in Man Utd's win in Bilbao / Clive Brunskill/GettyImages

Amorim compared what fans will hope is Hojlund's watershed moment to Harry Maguire, who has enjoyed a resurgence of his own after appearing to be at rock bottom and destined for Old Trafford's exit. The key now is to consistently maintain that new level.

"Like Harry, he needs to understand everything can change so let's focus on the next one [against Brentford]," Amorim said. "I think it's a good lesson for all the players that sometimes you have some moments that you think, 'I will never recover from this or that'.

"Anything can happen. It's not just Harry. The history of this game can tell you lot. It looks like we are struggling a lot, but then everything changes and people say it's the best game of the season. We have to understand that the players have some moments in their life where they have to just keep working, and things can change [for the better]."