Manchester United drew 1-1 with Ipswich Town at Portman Road Sunday evening as Ruben Amorim’s reign finally began.
The game got off to a dream start for the Portuguese coach as Marcus Rashford fired the away team into the lead with just over a minute on the clock.
However, Omari Hutchinson equalised for the Tractor Boys just before half-time to earn the home side a deserved share of the spoils.
Here are five talking points from United’s draw with Ipswich.
Ruben Amorim sticks to his principles
There were plenty of question marks pre-match over whether the former Sporting CP boss would implement his favoured 3-4-3 formation or if he would cut his cloth accordingly.
United lined up with a back-three of Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Jonny Evans – while Amad Diallo and Diogo Dalot started in the much-discussed wing-back roles.
This yielded immediate success early on as Diallo burst down the right flank and crossed for Rashford to score.
It will no doubt take some time for the players to get to grips with the change in set-up.
Diallo does well in new role
There were perhaps a few raised eyebrows from some United fans when Amad lined up in the wing-back position.
The Ivorian wide-man enjoyed a productive run under interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, and the 22-year-old continued his form at Portman Road with a superb assist.
The former Atalanta youngster performed admirably in an unfamiliar role, and it will be interesting to see if he continues in this position.
Shaw makes his long-awaited comeback
Luke Shaw returned to the field after months of injury set-backs, having first picked up a season-ending injury in February during a league encounter at Luton Town.
The left-back briefly returned in the summer at Euro 2024 with the England national team but has been out injured ever since.
Having resumed training recently, the 29-year-old was introduced as a second-half substitute – and played over half an hour as a left centre-back.
It remains to be seen if he can maintain his fitness. However, a fully fit Shaw is a superb option for the squad.
Onana continues on his road to redemption
Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana kept up his fine form this season by putting in another impressive display against Kieran McKenna’s men.
The former Inter Milan and Ajax stalwart pulled off a brilliant one-handed save to deny Sammie Szmodics a certain goal in the first half and looked generally solid throughout.
The 28-year-old had endured a difficult start to life in Manchester during his first campaign but seems to have recovered well. He is now looking like a dependable lieutenant between the sticks.
Amorim needs time to put his stamp on United
It was a disappointing afternoon for the 39-year-old Portuguese head coach as he no doubt would have wanted to start his tenure with a victory in East Anglia.
However, he will be well aware that nothing is ever achieved after one game, and it will take time to implement his ideas and get this squad of underachieving players to perform to the requisite standard.
His team improved after the interval and controlled proceedings far better after he made some substitutions early in the second period.
With a hectic festive period on the horizon, there will be plenty of ups and downs. Crucially, it is imperative to be patient and see how the new man settles in.
What did you make of Manchester United’s performance in the draw with Ipswich?
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