Ruben Amorim will hope to hit the ground running against Ipswich Town in his first match in charge of Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, and there is plenty going on at the club
The day of Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge of Manchester United has arrived.
It’s been more than three weeks since the Portuguese coach was appointed at Old Trafford and supporters will finally be afforded their first glimpse of how the side will be set up under their new boss. Amorim has signed a deal until 2027 but will hope to hit the ground running against Ipswich Town.
There is plenty of anticipation surrounding his first match, with even Amorim confirming he is ‘anxious’ for his first game but ‘very excited’. That is sure to match the feelings of away supporters at Portman Road and around the world.
Mirror Football takes a look at some of the news surrounding the club heading into the game.
Roy Keane meeting
Ruben Amorim still has a number of Manchester United legends to acquaint himself with and he is particularly keen to meet former captain Roy Keane.
The new boss is in no rush to seek advice from Sir Alex Ferguson as he looks to forge his own path at Old Trafford but Amorim already has Gary Neville clamouring to arrange the first dinner between himself and Keane.
In conversation with Salford City owner Neville, Amorim admitted he would like to link up with the ex-Republic of Ireland international. The United coach was full of praise for the pundit who will be present for his first match.
“He was a player that I really liked,” said Amorim. “I know he’s a little bit crazy! But he was a massive player and I like players with character.
“It was not just what Roy Keane did on the pitch, it was the way he influenced the others. I think that is very important. You must have this kind of player in the big clubs and I hope we’ll have, in the future, players like Roy Keane.”
Marcus Rashford hint
United chiefs will be hoping Amorim can turn around the fortunes of a number of players at Old Trafford, and returning Marcus Rashford to his best form will be high up on the boss’ list of tasks.
While wingers may be asked to turn into wing-backs during Amorim’s tenure it appears Rashford is being prepared for a more central role with an emphasis on attack. It seems he will be utilised against Ipswich too.
“Rashy is training very well,” Amorim told the Manchester United website. “He can play the three positions up front, so its a good thing he will be ready on Sunday.”
Transfer plan
Amorim is set to battle it out for the signature of Viktor Gyokeres this summer. The 39-year-old has made the £65million-rated Sporting Lisbon striker his No 1 target for next summer
The United boss will be forced to battle with Manchester City for his services with City’s new sporting director Hugo Viana is also interested. Both are said to enjoy close relationships with Gyokeres.
The former Portugal midfielder wants a strong say in transfer plans moving forward and United’s source of goals has been hot-topic this season.
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