Ruben Amorim’s started his reign as Manchester United head coach with a frustrating 1-1 draw to Ipswich Town.
The 39-year-old had no reaction on the sidelines when Marcus Rashford opened the scoring after just 81 seconds at Portman Road.
Ruben Amorim is experienced enough to know there was a long way to go, and his Manchester United side dipped in performance levels after taking the lead.
Ipswich drew level in the first half through Omari Hutchinson’s curling effort and United were unable to find a winner.
United fans are convinced by Amorim and the style of play he is trying to implement, but Sunday’s draw proved that there is a lot of work still to be done by him and his coaching team.
Bruno Fernandes thrived in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3
Amorim took a lot of risks when he named his very first United lineup vs Ipswich Town. He put his faith in Rashford to lead the line, while Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes filled the two No.10 roles behind the striker.
During his first interview as head coach, Amorim promised fans will see “an idea” against Ipswich and there were certainly signs of promise. But, as usual for United, they struggled when it came to consistency.
It was always going to be difficult for United players to adapt to Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, especially for those who only had a couple of training sessions with him at Carrington.
But one of the biggest winners from Amorim’s first match was Fernandes, who looked well-suited to Amorim’s style of play.
United’s captain played the full 90 minutes, starting in a No.10 role before dropping back to central midfield when Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee were introduced.
Fernandes took 68 touches and completed 47 of his 51 passes (92 percent). He made three key passes – more than any other player on the pitch.
His defensive work was also impressive with Fernandes winning five duels with one tackle and one interception. He was given a 7.7 rating on SofaScore – the highest of any player on the pitch.
Ruben Amorim is a big fan of Bruno Fernandes
Ahead of the Ipswich clash, Amorim was keen to praise Fernandes in training.
Amorim hailed Fernandes as a “leader” and he certainly stepped up and impressed during his first match.
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It has been suggested that Fernandes must adapt to succeed under Amorim and that may be the case, but United’s captain has already proven that he is versatile and willing to play wherever he is instructed to.
Fernandes is familiar with Amorim’s tactics having watched hours of his Sporting Lisbon side as a fan. While others are still adapting, the Portuguese midfielder is making the most of his headstart.
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