Man Utd ace’s introduction to the team can transform Ruben Amorim’s system, Ipswich draw made it clear

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The frustration on Ruben Amorim’s face after the draw in his first game as Manchester United manager was clear.

The Portuguese got a glimpse of the magnitude of the job in front of him and how much he would really need to do to turn it around.

There were building blocks and glimpses of a promising future under Ruben Amorim but for the large part, Man Utd were perhaps lucky to escape with a draw.

Ruben Amorim’s first Man Utd XI, however, had many players missing which has to be considered a mitigating factor because second-half subs did give some momentum to the team.

Where did Man Utd lack against Ipswich?

When Amorim sits to break this game down into where he or his players got it wrong, he will see a few clear “culprits”, for the lack of a better word.

Right off the bat, it was clear that the midfield duo of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro is not suited to Amorim and what he demands from his midfielders.

Then, Jonny Evans at centre-back was most probably not on his list of selections when he came to Old Trafford full of hope and excitement.

Even Marcus Rashford as the striker is not first-choice and he showed why with a limited display after scoring the quick opener.

However, the biggest failure of the system against Ipswich came in the pressing patterns, of which Omari Hutchinson took full advantage.

The Ipswich attacker made full use of the space afforded to him between the lines and wreaked havoc on the United team with his penetrating runs.

That happened because United are still learning the pressing zones and triggers under Amorim and the manager was seen visibly frustrated on the touchline many times.

When he came on, one player immediately looked like he had been playing under Amorim for a long time because he had an intrinsic understanding of that part of the game.

Mason Mount’s intelligence is perfect for Ruben Amorim

Amorim said after the game how Noussair Mazraoui is “so smart” and that type of player is “so crucial to our future”, making it clear how highly he values game intelligence.

That comes after Amorim praising Mount’s attitude and playing style in the lead-up to the game so it’s already obvious the kind of players he likes.

Ipswich draw was a clear example as to why that is. His system is so demanding and detailed that communication breakdown from a single player can expose the whole team.

That happened on multiple occasions with Casemiro and Evans, both of whom were replaced, with the former not even lasting an hour.

Ugarte immediately made a difference with his energy but Mount should fit even better because he combined his energy with a clear understanding of pressing too.

There’s a reason he has been a manager’s favourite under multiple managers at multiple clubs and that is because he takes up instructions quickly and executes them to a tee on the pitch.

If he stays fit, expect him to be the first name on the teamsheet under Amorim and the system to work perfectly if he’s a part of it.