Manchester United progress to Europa last 16 round

Ruben Amorim said Manchester United's progress to the Europa League last 16 with a 2-0 win over Romanian side FCSB will be crucial to his bid to revitalise his troubled team.

- Agencies

BUCHAREST:

Amorim's men recovered from a patchy first half in Bucharest to secure the top-eight finish that guaranteed automatic qualification for the last 16 on Thursday.

Diogo Dalot broke the deadlock on the hour with a close-range finish from Kobbie Mainoo's cross and the provider turned scorer eight minutes later as the England midfielder tucked away Alejandro Garnacho's pass.

After beating Rangers and Fulham in their previous two games, United recorded three consecutive wins in all competitions for the first time this season.

United came third in the league phase of the Europa League after going unbeaten in their eight matches.

Avoiding the play-off round -- for the teams who finished ninth to 24th -- is a major boost for Amorim, who will use the free time to drill his tactics and philosophy on the training ground.