A new era is well and truly under way as new MUFC manager Ruben Amorim takes charge of his first game as his United side travel to Ipswich to take on former assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Kieran McKenna.
On paper, not the toughest of starts for the Portuguese but in the Premier League, you just never know. With the type of manager Amorim is though, we can be sure that his players will most definitely be up for it.
I'm just super excited for this match. I honestly cannot wait!
Predicted Lineup
It's always difficult to predict a new manager's lineup. While us fans have our selections based on how well we know our players, the new boss usually means a fresh start for all and he will have to assess the squad and see who best suits his style.
Anybody could play.
Even more so that almost everyone is available.
How convenient.
Of course, a formation change. Not only is this the first time that we'll see a three at the back at United but also the first time in a long while that we won't see a 4-2-3-1. All of the previous managers used that formation.
Onana in goal.
I believe that he will start Leny Yoro. With him pulling out of the u21s game earlier in the week to be better prepared for tomorrow's game, I think he is going to make his debut for United.
Next to him is De Ligt and as left centre-back, Martinez if he is fit. Remember, the butcher pulled out of international duty and came back to Manchester to speed up his recovery but there's been no news of his fitness and whether he will be ready or not.
If he isn't available, it will have to be Evans as he is the only other centre-back available with Maguire also out.
There is the option that Amorim could use a full-back in that position. With Mazraoui and Dalot ready and capable of playing on the left, he could opt for one of them if Martinez isn't available and use a winger out wide.
However, as you can see, down the flanks, I've gone for Mazraoui on the left as he is undroppable at the moment, and with Dalot on the right. With the boss coming out and saying that it is harder to teach wingers to defend compared to teaching full-backs to attack, I think he will go with the two full-backs for the time being.
In midfield, I've kept the same pair that we saw under Ruud van Nistelrooy, Casemiro and Ugarte. The Uruguayan is probably nailed on to start as he played for Amorim at Sporting. I don't think Eriksen will play (although there's no reason why he can't), and nor do I think that Mainoo and Mount are fit enough to start.
Casemiro and Ugarte have also developed quite a good relationship and understanding and they have good amounts of experience.
Ahead of them, I think he will go with Bruno and Amad as the two number 10s with Hojlund as the striker although I wouldn't be surprised if he selected Rashford up top.
With everyone being available again, the bench will be a lot stronger giving Amorim good options should he need to make changes.
Approach
Again, very difficult to know what United will actually do under a new manager. We know how Amorim would like his team to play but with a new system and tactics, it will be very difficult for the players to do it straight away.
Time is needed.
What he would want to see though, is a lot of the ball. This is something that his Sporting sides did as they dominated possession. The Portuguese champions average around 60% for the season so far.
This is very important to Amorim because even though they beat City 4-1 in the Champions League, he said that United cannot play as defensive a game as Sporting did in that win:
“United cannot play the way we play, they cannot be so defensive" via The Athletic.
And he's right, United cannot play a defensive game or one that is only counter-attacking or transitional. That's not what we're all about and nor is it what Amorim ball is all about.
But not only does he like a lot of possession, Amorim would like his team to recovery the ball quickly which means working hard out of possession, something that we don't do too well.
A player who is key in this is Ugarte which shouldn't be a surprise. His ability to win the ball back was very important to Amorim at Sporting as it was used to shield his defense.
Ugarte also won possession in the final third 23 times for Sporting in the 22/23 season which made him the player with the most high turnovers in the Portuguese league that season, Sky Sports.
We've seen just how good Ugarte can be as he was displaying some excellent form under Ruud and even won man of the match in the 3-0 win over Leicester last time out.
Amorim's teams also created a lot of opportunities going forward, specifically for the striker. I don't need to tell you about Viktor Gyokeres and how good he is but he is only as good as his team around him.
Sporting created a lot of chances for the Swede resulting in him scoring 23 goals this season.
As we know at United, our strikers have been in a graveyard shift for many seasons as we hardly create chances for them. The positive for Amorim is that this season, we have been creating a few even if it's not been for the striker, and that we've been missing them.
This is something the new boss can work with but it's about getting the players to create for the number 9. Hojlund is also very clinical compared to the rest.
We've missed 26 big chances, the most in the league so far.
United have also only scored 12 goals. That's a number that needs serious improving. Hopefully with Amorim's attacking style, we could add to that tally.
Form
Ruud van Nistelrooy came in and steadied the ship to a point where he restored some form. A draw against Chelsea and a win against Leicester means we have only lost one of our last five.
United remained in 13th despite that 3-0 win last time out thanks to fewer goals scored than those above us. But the good thing is that we are only 4 points off the top 4 putting us right back in the mix for CL qualification.
In the away table, we are slap bang in the middle. 10th with just one win (Southampton 3-0), two draws and two losses with a +1 goal difference. We've also only scored 5 away from home, 3 of which came in that solitary win over the Saints.
On the road has still been a problem for us this season as we know how bad we have been away from home under ten Hag. Hopefully Amorim can change our travel fortunes.
Ipswich
Kieran McKenna has done a fine job at Ipswich. He brought them back to the top flight after 22 years as they finished 2nd in the Championship behind Leicester.
While these back-to-back promotions for Ipswich from League One to the Championship and Championship to the Premier League has been great, in the league it's not as they would've wanted. They are 17th, 1 point above the drop zone.
In their 11 matches, the newly promoted side have just the solitary victory to their name which came in their last match at Spurs as they won 2-1.
A problem that McKenna has had though, is in conceding goals. They've let in 22 which is the joint second-most with only Wolves (27) having conceded more. This gives Ipswich a -10 GD, the third most in the league. They've also only kept the one clean sheet all season.
More good news for United is that at home, Ipswich have won zero games and are one of only three teams to have achieved that. The 3 points they've managed came from three draws while they've also lost two.
Prediction
I believe we will come out 2-0 winners. With the new manager bounce, a lot of our squad back available and Ipswich's poor home record, I think we will see Ruben Amorim get his first win at the club.
I don't actually know how we will perform and whether this will be a good watch or not but one thing's for sure, all eyes will be on Portman Road.
Background Image: Leny Yoro | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)