A number of players missed the chance to impress the new manager at Portman Road, and may lose their spots in the starting XI as a result
“I know it’s frustrating for the fans, but we are changing so much in this moment with a lot of games,” Ruben Amorim said after opening his reign as Manchester United head coach with a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town. “We are going to suffer for a long period and we will try to win games, but this will take time.”
It was an obvious point to make after such a disappointing performance, but surely he didn’t expect to suffer this much on day one of the job. Aside from the first 80 seconds, which saw Marcus Rashford put United in front after a pulsating move that showcased the strength of Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 system, the visitors lacked penetration and purpose.
Ipswich looked far more dangerous going forward, and had it not been for Andre Onana’s heroic goalkeeping, United would have left Portman Road empty-handed. Amorim is well within his rights to ask for patience, but some lessons must be learned.
It would certainly make no sense for Amorim to stick with the same line-up when United host Everton next weekend, as the former Sporting CP boss is going to have to be ruthless right from the off to spark an improvement. Ipswich exposed the true size of the task ahead, and Amorim cannot afford to carry any passengers as he bids to make his mark at Old Trafford…
