- Ruben Amorim made sure his Man United players applauded their away fans
- The Portuguese manager drew his first game in charge 2-2 with Ipswich Town
- Will Ruben Amorim be Man United’s saviour? LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Available wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes every Monday and Thursday
Ruben Amorim insisted his Man United players recognised the support of their travelling fans after a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town in his first game in charge.
After the full-time whistle, the Portuguese boss was seen herding his players towards the packed away end to show their gratitude to United’s supporters.
Fans quickly reacted to the news on social media, with many noting that the players should have done so without the manager’s encouragement, while others applauded the sentiment.
‘Knowing them, they would’ve gone to the tunnel if he didn’t tell them that. A bunch of entitled and highly paid underperformers,’ wrote one user on X.
Another said: ‘Bringing in that mentality early,’ praising Amorim’s expectations on his squad.
A third commented: ‘They should be doing that anyway without having to be told.’
A poacher’s finish from Marcus Rashford handed Amorim a dream start, giving United the lead in the second minute.
However, Kieran McKenna’s side quickly shifted the game’s momentum, and their efforts were rewarded in the 43rd minute when Omari Hutchinson equalised with a stunning curling effort from long-range, albeit assisted by a deflection off Noussair Mazraoui’s head.
Amorim fearlessly implemented his unique playing style in his first game – he put Noussair Mazraoui in at right centre back, had Amad Diallo as a wing back and Alejandro Garnacho as an inside forward – it was to be the 3-4-3 system that served him so well at Sporting.
When asked about his side adapting to the new formation, Amorim admitted that he does not expect his footballing philosophy to be perfectly implemented so soon.
‘It was really hard for them, they were thinking what to do, it was not fluid which is normal after to just two training sessions but they tried hard,’ he told BBC Sport.
‘They have so much space to improve. But after a draw you never feel the good things. So I am really happy because they tried but they can do so much better.’
