This is it, this is the big one.
The Ruben Amorim era starts at Portman Road this afternoon and anticipation is at an all-time high.
There have been plenty of management changes since Sir Alex Ferguson, but Ruben Amorim is the first boss appointed by our new board. He is their man – this time around it simply has to work.
Ruben Amorim has said and done all the right things so far, and the United fanbase seems to largely be on board. However, the young Portuguese boss will be under no illusions about the size of the task in front of him and the difficulties of the job. Good will derived from interviews and press conferences can dissipate very quickly if performances and results aren’t forthcoming.
Amorim was tight-lipped about this season’s aims in his Gary Neville interview, but you suspect that top 4 and a trophy is probably the realistic high-end goal. Given we lie in 13th place currently, the new boss has plenty of work to do.
We have a decent run of three games coming up; Ipswich away today and then Bodo/Glimt and Everton at home. Three wins out of three has to be the goal.
Manchester United Team News
The big news is that Leny Yoro appears to be fit and ready to make his competitive debut. Left backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are nearing match fitness, but it’s unlikely they will feature today. Lisandro Martinez suffered a back issue on international duty but should be OK; great news considering Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are both sidelined.
Our only other injury concern is Kobbie Mainoo, who remains a doubt and is more likely to need another week or so.
Expect to see a new system as Amorim looks to bring his famous 3-4-3 structure to United. There’s definitely the potential for some surprise choices today too; Jay Motty’s predicted XI included the much-maligned Antony at left wingback!
Manchester United Predicted XI
Opposition Preview
Ipswich are a team that have the potential to cause big upsets. I’m sure we all got a chuckle out of City’s capitulation at home to Spurs yesterday – well, Ipswich beat that same Spurs team, at the Tottenham Hostpur stadium, in their last league outing.
They’ve also held high-flyers Aston Villa and Brigthon to draws, scored first at City and have given away winning positions several times by conceding very late goals. They’re well-managed too; United were linked with Kieran McKenna before appointing Amorim.
This fixture will feature a 38-year-old vs a 39-year-old manager; both will be keen to show off their forward-thinking, attacking brands of football.
Ipswich town Team News
Chiedozie Ogbene, Janoi Donacien and George Hirst will miss this game, while Nathan Broadhead, Wesley Burns, Omari Giraud-Hutchinson, Kalvin Philips, Jacob Greaves and Jack Taylor are all set to undergo late fitness tests.
Dangermen Liam Delap and Sammie Szmodics are both fit. They have 6 and 3 goals this season respectively, and could cause United real problems.
Form Guide
Manchester United Premier League form: DWLDW
Manchester United form (all competitions): LWDWW
Ipswich Town Premier League form: DLLLDW
Ipswich Town form (all competitions): DLLLDW
Prediction
United looked good under interim manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy, so let’s hope Ruben Amorim benefits from a bit of ‘new manager bounce’ too.
At the end of the day, Ipswich are a promoted side that we should be beating both home and away, although they do have the potential to cause big upsets. If we perform like we should and how Amorim will demand, this should be three points in the bag.
Manchester United 3-1 Ipswich Town
