Manchester United: Rasmus Hojlund among three issues Ruben Amorim must solve straight away

All eyes volition beryllium connected Portman Road this Sunday when, aft 3 weeks of waiting since his assignment arsenic the club’s caller caput coach, Ruben Amorim yet takes complaint of Manchester United for the archetypal time.

United enjoyed a bounce nether interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, but 3 wins and a gully from 4 games fooled fewer of the task that faces Amorim arsenic helium looks to crook astir the fortunes of England’s biggest club.

It’s rather intelligibly a semipermanent project, and determination astir surely volition beryllium symptom on the way, with truthful galore problems to hole some connected and disconnected the tract astatine Old Trafford.

However, what problems does the Portuguese caput manager request to lick close distant up of taking connected Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich side?

Despite having six centre-backs successful his caller squad, Amorim mightiness conflict to tract fractional of them connected Sunday with the injuries helium has inherited.

Lisandro Martinez missed retired connected planetary work with Argentina with a hep issue, portion Victor Lindelof besides returned early, joining Harry Maguire successful the attraction room. Leny Yoro is backmost successful training, but it feels improbable helium volition beryllium thrown successful from the off, fixed helium has been absent since aboriginal July.

Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are successful a akin concern to the young Frenchman, albeit some person been injured for acold longer, and starting either appears to beryllium a hazard not worthy taking.

If each miss out, Amorim whitethorn beryllium forced to commencement with a backmost 3 of Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt, and Jonny Evans, with Amad oregon Antony successful a wing-back relation if helium is to instrumentality to his favoured formation.

One of United’s galore issues nether Erik 10 Hag was the astir basic: putting the shot successful the backmost of the net. Some of it came down to mediocre finishing but, truthful often, it came down to adjacent worse decision-making, and an inability to find Rasmus Hojlund.

In stats that volition travel arsenic nary astonishment to anyone who’s watched United since the young Dane’s arrival, for players with 10 goals oregon more, helium ranks among the lowest for some passes received and touches wrong the box, arsenic good arsenic wide shots. Most damning of all: successful a 3rd of his 55 games for United crossed each competitions, Hojlund has not had a shot.

Of course, immoderate of this tin beryllium attributed to the subordinate himself, and helium does request to halt wrestling with defenders truthful much, but lone Everton scoring less goals from crosses past play points to a overmuch wider problem, and 1 that needs rectifying.

The template is close determination with Viktor Gyokeres, who Amorim has helped crook into 1 of Europe’s deadliest strikers astatine Sporting. Having 2 no10s, oregon wrong forwards, overmuch person to him, and width and crossing being supplied by wing-backs, feels similar the close archetypal measurement to assistance enactment Hojlund successful a presumption to succeed.

Certain managers person possibly had an individuality successful fits and starts, but it ne'er lasted, and has been afloat lacking since Sir Alex Ferguson’s status 11 years ago.

It’s besides thing Amorim has talked astir since arriving successful Manchester, outlining it arsenic his main extremity from time 1 astatine the club. He said: “To triumph clip is to triumph games. But the astir important happening for maine is identity. So, since time 1 we volition commencement with our identity.

“Of people we are going to hole the games, but we volition absorption a batch connected our crippled model. How to play, however to press, these tiny things, tiny details. You cannot spell 100% connected each item due to the fact that it volition beryllium confusing for the players. So, if I person to accidental 1 thing, my main goal, my archetypal goal, is identity.”

No 1 should expect The Amorim Show successful each its glory connected Sunday, but the caller antheral sticking to his principles, patterns, and 3-4-3 formation, would beryllium a bully opening sign.

Solving some, oregon each of these problems, alongside a much-needed 3 points. successful what is precise overmuch a imaginable banana tegument fixture, would marque for a imagination start.