Marcus Rashford will NEVER be a No.9 & Casemiro's legs are long gone! Six things Ruben Amorim learned in first Man Utd game as plucky Ipswich expose size of the task ahead

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“I know it’s frustrating for the fans, but we are changing so much in this moment with a lot of games,” Ruben Amorim said after opening his reign as Manchester United head coach with a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town. “We are going to suffer for a long period and we will try to win games, but this will take time.”

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It was an obvious point to make after such a disappointing performance, but surely he didn’t expect to suffer this much on day one of the job. Aside from the first 80 seconds, which saw Marcus Rashford put United in front after a pulsating move that showcased the strength of Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 system, the visitors lacked penetration and purpose.

Ipswich looked far more dangerous going forward, and had it not been for Andre Onana’s heroic goalkeeping, United would have left Portman Road empty-handed. Amorim is well within his rights to ask for patience, but some lessons must be learned.

It would certainly make no sense for Amorim to stick with the same line-up when United host Everton next weekend, as the former Sporting CP boss is going to have to be ruthless right from the off to spark an improvement. Ipswich exposed the true size of the task ahead, and Amorim cannot afford to carry any passengers as he bids to make his mark at Old Trafford…

Rashford can’t lead the line

Rashford has played up front for United in the past, and scored goals, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him poke home the opening goal at Portman Road, after busting a gut to get on the end of a searching Amad Diallo cross. But the position doesn’t come naturally to him; that much was evident again for the remaining 66 minutes he was on the pitch.

Rashford didn’t have another meaningful moment in the game, touching the ball just 13 times overall. He didn’t really show for the ball in United’s build-up play and rarely looked to run in behind the Ipswich defence again.

Amorim cannot overlook all of that just because Rashford scored the goal. That was only his second in the Premier League this season, and there is no evidence to suggest a prolific run of form is on the horizon. Rashford is as useless as a No.9 as he has been on the left wing for United over the past 17 months, that’s the harsh truth.

Granted, Rasmus Hojlund didn’t impress after replacing him either, but the Dane should be starting through the middle, if for no other reason than he will at least compete. On current form, Rashford is not offering anything to this United team. He belongs on the bench, and in an ideal world, the INEOS recruitment team will already be exploring the possibility of getting the fallen academy star off the club’s books in 2025.