Ruben Amorim kickstarted his Manchester United tenure with a 1-1 draw away against newly promoted Ipswich Town at Portman Road this afternoon.
Marcus Rashford handed the Red Devils the dream start, firing home after just 81 seconds following superb work down the right-hand side by Amad Diallo.
However, they were pegged back before the interval, after Omari Hutchinson’s strike from the edge of the box found the top corner via a deflection off the head of Noussair Mazraoui.
The point takes Manchester United up to 12th in the Premier League, six points off the top four, with a Champions League place still up for grabs come the end of the season.
Undoubtedly, Amorim’s new system will take time to implement, but after today’s showing, he simply must be considering dropping numerous players after their disappointing performances.
Man Utd’s below-par performers against Ipswich
Midfielder Christian Eriksen started from the off in East Anglia, being preferred to academy star Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte, despite the Uruguayan’s previous stint under the new boss at Sporting CP.
The Denmark international featured for 68 minutes before being replaced by striker Joshua Zirkzee as United hunted for an equaliser during the closing stages.
However, before his withdrawal, the 32-year-old failed to impress, lacking tempo and looking sluggish throughout. He only won 50% of the duels he contested, whilst also losing possession ten times, looking wasteful with the ball at his feet.
Eriksen wasn’t the only player to disappoint in the draw, with teammate Alejandro Garnacho failing to make the impression he would have wished for in the first outing under the 39-year-old.
The Argentine featured in a wide left position, but was unable to create any opportunities within the final third, losing the ball every time he attempted a take-on and missing one big chance that could have secured all three points for the Red Devils.
The youngster was also outfought by former United talent Axel Tuanzebe, losing eight duels – the most of any player within Amorim’s starting XI.
However, the aforementioned pair weren’t the only two players to produce a disappointing display, with one other first-team member needing to be dropped as a result of his below-par showing.
The player Amorim needs to drop after Ipswich
Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has been a man under scrutiny in recent months for his failure to demonstrate why the hierarchy forked out £70m for his signature in 2022.
Despite his failures under former boss Erik ten Hag, he was handed an opportunity from the off by the new manager but was unable to grab his chance with both hands.
The 32-year-old was largely bypassed in the first half at Portman Road, being dribbled past twice as the hosts looked to counterattack given their lowly possession stat of just 40%.
Minutes played
56
Touches
28
Passes completed
16/23 (70%)
Dribbled past
2
Duels won
3/5
Possession lost
7x
Interceptions made
0
Casemiro also lost possession seven times in the first 45 minutes before being replaced just after the break by Ugarte – giving the ball away once every seven minutes during his time on the pitch.
He also only registered a tally of 28 touches within his display, a tally fewer than goalkeeper Andre Onana who registered 57 during the draw against Kieran McKenna’s men.
As a result, the former Real Madrid ace was handed a measly 4/10 match rating from the Metro’s Tony Mogan – an indication of how disappointing he was throughout the encounter.
Amorim will have to be brutal during his spell at Old Trafford if he is to bring the glory days back to the North West, with numerous players potentially being axed from his squad.
Casemiro and Garnacho will be two players lucky to retain their starting roles over the coming weeks after their outings this afternoon, with both players unable to have the desired effect against the Tractor Boys.
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