Jamie Redknapp believes trying to draw conclusions on what Manchester United will look like long-term under Ruben Amorim is effectively pointless, predicting that the line-up that played out a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town will be unrecognisable over time.
Manchester United got off to a brilliant start to Amorim’s first game in charge as Marcus Rashford tapped home Amad Diallo’s low cross to the near post at the end of a blistering run, but that was to be United’s one and only real moment in the game bar a Bruno Fernandes free kick that went narrowly wide.
Omari Hutchinson’s deflected strike equalised just before half time, with Ipswich looking the more likely of the two sides to go on and win the game in the second half but having to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Amorim had set up in the 3-4-3 he had used to great success at Sporting, with a back three of Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs De Ligt and Jonny Evans; Amad and Diogo Dalot at wing-back; Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in central midfield; and a front three of Bruno Fernandes, Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.
United went through all five substitutions with the front line and midfield coming in for particular adjustments throughout the game, but none of them looked anything like sparking into life.
READ: Amorim Watch: Close eye on new Manchester United manager in his first game
Speaking Sky Sports after the game, Redknapp said: “They haven’t got quality in the team. There’s a lot of problems you have to solve. I’m already fed up talking about this system that he’s going to employ. I am, because it’s day one.
“The players that are in this system right now are not going to be the players in the future. You’re not going to see Jonny Evans as the left-sided centre-back, you’re not going to see Mazraoui [at centre-back], you’re not going to see [Amad and Dalot as the] two wing backs probably. Obviously they’re both opposite foot and they’re playing on the outside. Is that midfield going to be Casemiro and Eriksen? Of course it isn’t
“So we’re going to try and analyse it, [but] it’s almost pointless, because the system is going to change, because the players are going to change, and then they’re going to look better.
“In a way, the best thing that could probably happen is not get fooled by these players right now, because after two minutes we’re looking and thinking, ‘wow, the Messiah’s here, everything’s going to change. Look how good they look’. But then they became their true selves in the end and they see that the quality isn’t there.
“So this is going to take time, it’s going to take new personnel. They were always going to have to figure it out. He’s going to be changing the team probably week in, week out, searching for who is going to be the right people in this system.
“Once he gets that, then he has a chance. But right now you couldn’t pick the team that’s going to be there in six month, because you don’t know who’s going to fit into what he wants.”
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