Rasmus Hojlund's two-goal haul off the bench meant he took the plaudits in Plzen, but he wasn't the only Manchester United sub to positively influence proceedings in the crucial come-from-behind Europa League win.

Antony was bright as he came on at wing-back as well, but Mason Mount was vital to United's ability to up the tempo after a slow opening hour had allowed their outmatched hosts to establish a foothold in the game.

Ruben Amorim's team should have always had too much quality for the Czech outfit, but their ponderous pace of play failed to stretch them. This allowed Viktoria Plzen to grow in confidence, eventually taking the lead after an Andre Onana mistake.

The introduction of Hojlund after 56 minutes added a bit more penetration to United's play and helped to stretch the pitch, but the double change five minutes of Antony and Mount for Tyrell Malacia and Joshua Zirkzee opened the game up, bringing on players who could thrive in that space created.

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Mount injected some much-needed tempo into proceedings, linking well with Hojlund and Amad. He was twice denied a goal by good saves by Martin Jedlicka. The 25-year-old's game intelligence and tactical understanding give him a greater appreciation of how to exploit the space that was suddenly created by Hojlund's introduction, and it was another example of Amorim making a clever, game-changing substitution.

The lengthy footage that United released from Amorim's first training session captured the head coach twice praising Mount, and he has talked effusively about him since he arrived at the club.

"The first thing is he's working really hard. Then you have to understand the human also - he wants this really badly, and that is the most important thing," Amorim said after his second game in charge, against Bodo Glimt.

"He has proved he is a really talented player. He was a European champion, so we believe in him a lot.

"He has to stay fit and, like all the guys in the team, they are quality players, they have to improve and believe in themselves.

"On Thursday he did a great job. You see some moments and details where you can see that Mason is a proper footballer. We believe in him a lot and I especially believe a lot in Mason."

'A proper footballer' is a good way of surmising Mount and it's no coincidence that he is a coach's dream. Every manager or head coach he has played under has tended to rave about his influence, even if it hasn't always been so visible to fans.

Mount has featured in five of six games under Amorim so far, starting against Bodo Glimt and Arsenal, and his cameo off the bench on Thursday will put him in the conversation to start against Manchester City at the Etihad.

If Amorim opts to play Mount in one of those attacking midfield positions, then Bruno Fernandes will likely remain in the deeper role. The captain has shown his versatility in playing both midfield roles under Amorim, and which one he occupies will often depend on whether Mount is in the team or not.

For now, Mount will be encouraged that he is injury-free. He has been in seven successive matchday squads, dating back to the final game of Ruud van Nistelrooy's spell as caretaker boss, and that is his best run of availability since October and November last season. If he stays fit, he could soon become a key figure for Amorim.