Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim believes it will do his players good to leave Kuala Lumpur with the sound of boos ringing in their ears after a 1-0 loss to ASEAN All-Stars.
After ending a desperate Premier League campaign with a victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, the club flew 6,600 miles to Malaysia only to find there was no respite from their troubles.
In temperatures of more than 30 degrees and high humidity, Amorim’s side failed to take a succession of chances despite regular substitutions which meant they ended up using 25 outfield players.
A second-half goal from Myanmar winger Maung Maung Lwin was enough to give a South East Asia XI victory in front of an official attendance of 72,550 at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, triggering boos from a substantial portion at the final whistle from fans who had paid up to £260 to watch United on their first visit to Malaysia since 2009.
“I always feel guilty for the performance of the team since the first game I was here,” said Amorim.
“The boos maybe is something we need because every game we lost in the Premier League the fans were always there. I felt when we finished every time the supporters were with us. Let’s see for next season.”
“We will see, but there will be some changes.”
United finished 15th in the Premier League, on 42 points – accepted to be the club’s worst campaign since the 1973-74 relegation season.
They also lost the Europa League final to Tottenham 1-0 in Bilbao to miss out on a place in next season’s Champions League.
