Ruben Amorim calls out two Man Utd stars after Ipswich draw as main concern laid bare

Ruben Amorim called out two Man Utd players. (Image: SKY SPORTS)

Ruben Amorim pinpointed Joshua Zirkzee and Jonny Evans as two Manchester United players who need to improve after Sunday's underwhelming 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town.

United were held in Amorim's first match in charge at Portman Road as they struggled to adapt to the new head coach's demands.

Marcus Rashford got the Portuguese tactician's reign off to a perfect start by poking Amad's cross home after just 80 seconds.

But Omari Hutchinson profited from his long-range strike deflecting off Noussair Mazraoui's head, putting it out of Andre Onana's reach and equalising before half-time.

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United flattered to deceive in the second half, emphasising the magnitude of the challenge Amorim faces after replacing Erik ten Hag in the dugout.

After full-time, he insisted that switching to his trademark 3-4-3 system wasn't the primary issue, instead claiming his players' decision-making has to improve.

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"Decision-making is a concern; you don't need to coach them [that] at this level," Amorim explained on Sky Sports.

"You have to keep the ball and know the momentum to put the ball in front. Sometimes you feel that you can't keep the ball and you have to put the ball in front.

"Then you have [situations] like at the end of the game [when] we were around the box with two strikers. Josh [Zirkzee] has to understand that he has to go to the box to help the crosses.

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"So we are doing some things that were not at the right moments, which we have to address. The 3-4-3 is not the concern; the understanding of the game is what we have to improve."

Zirkzee wasn't the only player named in Amorim's post-match assessment as he lamented his side's pressing. The 39-year-old also pinpointed Evans' failure to track Hutchinson.

"If you see the first half, you can see that they [United] were a little bit afraid. [Morsy] was always alone. We have to jump on him," Amorim added.

"Hutchinson was always in the dead space; Jonny Evans should be pressing his guy, but when we don't have the training.

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Amorim's second game will involve his Old Trafford homecoming when Bodo/Glimt visit in the Europa League on Thursday night.

And he repeated his call for patience after starting work at United during a turbulent period of the season.

Amorim continued: "We have to look at the data, understand the data and look at that. First, we have to understand the game.

"We have to be so much better physically to cope with the high pressure, the volume of the high-speed running, all these things, but we need time to work on these things."

Ruben Amorim calls out two Man Utd stars after Ipswich draw as main concern laid bare

Ruben Amorim calls out two Man Utd stars after Ipswich draw as main concern laid bare

Ruben Amorim calls out two Man Utd stars after Ipswich draw as main concern laid bare

Ruben Amorim calls out two Man Utd stars after Ipswich draw as main concern laid bare

Ruben Amorim calls out two Man Utd stars after Ipswich draw as main concern laid bare