Amorim dealt massive injury BLOW

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 17 Nov 2024 16:38 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been dealt an injury blow ahead of his first Premier League game.

The Portuguese coach took over as United boss on an official basis early this month, after the Premier League club and Sporting CP agreed on a compensation fee.

Taking over from the sacked Erik ten Hag, Amorim has been taking training at Carrington ahead of United's return to Premier League action next week, while some players are off on international duty.

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Next Sunday (November 24th), he will be in the dugout for his first game as Red Devils boss, against Ipswich Town. The club could reach as high as seventh place in the league table if results fall their way.

But he has already been handed an issue. Lisandro Martinez hobbled off injured during the international break and will likely miss the game.

Lionel Scaloni, the Argentina head coach, said earlier this week: "We saw that he had suffered a blow to his back, but apparently, he had no problem, just pain. When he arrived here, the pain increased a bit, he underwent tests and is not fit to be here."

Amorim has spoken about how he will likely implement his 3-4-3 system as he makes adjustments. But there is a bit of a defensive injury crisis, meaning his centre-back selection will be somewhat limited.

United have just two full-fit centre-backs in Matthijs de Ligt and Jonny Evans, with the rest not available for the game.

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Amorim on his blueprint

Amorim said that there is a lot of work to do as his tenure gets underway, but he is hoping the fans can see a semblance of an idea in his initial games.

"We know that we need time, but we have to win time," said Amorim. "To win time is to win games. But the most important thing for me is identity.

"You cannot go 100 per cent on every detail because it will be confusing for the players. So if I have to say one thing, my main goal, my first goal, is identity."