Ruben Amorim will face the media for the first time as Manchester United head coach this afternoon, 48 hours before he takes charge for the first time at Portman Road. Ipswich Town await United on Sunday, fresh off the club’s first Premier League win in 22 years at Tottenham on the eve of the November international break.
How the Red Devils will fare is anyone’s guess. Amorim brings the boost of a new manager bounce’ just as much as the risk of a drastic change to a three-at-the-back system.
The Portuguese coach has guaranteed that his United side will effuse an identity from the get-go in East Anglia, something sorely lacking under Erik ten Hag’s rule.
However, he doesn’t just face the jeopardy of attempting to replicate his successful Sporting set-up with a brand new set of players.
Amorim has inherited something of a defensive injury crisis at Carrington. In truth, it’s a defensive injury crisis that has seemingly been continuous since the start of last season.
The 39-year-old could travel to Ipswich without eight first-team players, six of whom are either centre-back or wing-back options in his 3-4-3 formation.
Kobbie Mainoo was among the first stars to meet Amorim when he landed in Manchester last Monday while completing gym work with Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount.
He has been out of action since early October with a thigh injury, yet has featured in Amorim’s first training sessions this week.
United will be keen to avoid rushing any recent absentees back, though, and Ipswich could come too soon, especially as a starter.
Toby Collyer is another midfielder who has been sidelined for over a month. But the 20-year-old hasn’t yet returned to training and won’t feature this weekend.
Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are back in training, having not featured for United since February 2024 and May 2023, respectively.
Malacia stepped up his recovery from multiple knee surgeries by featuring in the Under-21s’ defeat at Huddersfield Town last week.
But neither are expected to be in action at Portman Road, despite Amorim’s lack of potential wing-back options.
Whether United will have three available centre-backs for the foundation of Amorim’s system also remains to be seen.
Harry Maguire looks set to be ruled out, having not been spotted in training. Victor Lindelof is also a major doubt after suffering a fresh injury while representing Sweden this month.
Leny Yoro is in contention to feature in his first matchday squad after Amorim reportedly withdrew him from Under-21 duty on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old returned to training before the November international break and is expected to play a crucial role as United’s right-sided centre-half. It would be a significant surprise if he were to start, though.
Lisandro Martinez’s condition is also uncertain after he dropped out of Argentina duty with the knock he picked up against Leicester City last time out.
Amorim will provide updates and a clearer idea of his squad’s condition later today.
