Ruben Amorim explains why he dropped Man Utd star who 'ridiculed him on social media'

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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has revealed why Diogo Dalot and Mason Mount have been handed starting berths against Crystal Palace this afternoon, with the pair replacing Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui in the starting XI.

The Portuguese boss admitted there had been nerves when Dorgu was in possession during recent matches. In his pre-match press conference, Amorim said: “He needs to be calmer playing the game. You can feel the anxiety every time Patrick touched the ball — I can feel it, the anxiety.

“And I remember the shot [missed] against Everton . That was easier than the decision that he had to make when the guys from Scotland were there, when he made a great decision.

“And I saw it when he played in Italy. But, again, here is different and sometimes the pressure is hard for them in the beginning, but he has time to improve.”

Speaking to TNT Sports on Sunday, Amorim insisted his selection was driven only by training ground performances at Carrington. He said: "It's the way you train.

"They trained really well, the others too. Then the tactical aspect. Mason Mount is really smart, gives us more possession. He is intense, he can score goals so is one more player to be near the box."

It comes after Dorgu appeared to ridicule the United manager on social media. Earlier in November, the full-back 'liked' an Instagram post which questioned Amorim's team selection.

Victory today would lift United into the top six temporarily. Addressing that possibility, Amorim added: "It's so important to win, but the most important thing is to be competitive in every single minute. The table now doesn't matter, we are too far from the end."

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The Red Devils head into this afternoon's clash languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League standings. Last week's loss to Everton proved particularly frustrating, with the Toffees playing most of the match with ten men.

United will have to navigate today's fixture without three important players, with Benjamin Sesko still sidelined following an injury sustained in the draw at Tottenham . Harry Maguire , who was also pulled out during the Spurs match, will be absent as well.

Matheus Cunha, who sustained an injury in training prior to the Everton game, is anticipated to return for Thursday's clash with West Ham , according to Amorim.

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