Five Players to Watch for Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd debut

There's plenty of buzz around the Premier League as Ruben Amorim is set to make his debut as Man Utd head coach this Sunday.

Man Utd take on Ipswich at Portman Road in a 16:30 kick-off on Sunday 24 November, with the Portuguese coach bringing a fresh approach with his 3-4-2-1 formation and all that comes with it.

This is a chance for a fresh start for many of the Man Utd players who have been mired in mediocrity for far too long under Erik ten Hag.

Yes, United have won a domestic cup in each of the last two seasons under the Dutch coach but the football had been getting progressively worse.

READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano CONFIRMS Man Utd's transfer plans

This season was appalling and there's a reason why, despite the good work of interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, Man Utd sit 13th in the table, 13 points behind league leaders Liverpool.

Which players should be kept under the closest watch this Sunday, however? Who has the most interesting story leading into this new era?

Well, with a brief mention for Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw who are very interesting cases but unlikely to play at Portman Road, here are the five Man Utd players to keep a close watch on.

1. Marcus Rashford

Basketball match attendee Marcus Rashford has been widely criticised on social media during the international break for using his time off to, well, do anything.

Rashford's form has been so poor since the start of last season that he could personally pay the inheritance tax of every farmer in the country and people would still find a way to say that he's a terrible person who is responsible for the downfall of western society at large.

Man Utd fans are turning on the player who once carried the team so hard for so long that he literally broke his back. He's also the only Man Utd player to score 30 goals in a single season since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

The only solution for Rashford is to start scoring goals again. Can he do that? Well, that's the question. The Englishman could play as one of the attacking midfielders/wide forwards in Amorim's 3-4-2-1, or he could play as a striker.

Whichever role he turns up in, he's got to start hitting the back of the net. If he shows up at Portman Road in that early 2023 type of form? Things could get very interesting.

2. Leny Yoro

Hey, remember when Real Madrid spent a year prepping to sign Leny Yoro and then Man Utd just whipped out their wallet and beat them to the wonderkid?

You probably don't, because Leny Yoro got injured in pre-season and hasn't played any competitive football for his new club. Smart, really, he avoided getting Ten Hag'd!

READ MORE: Nypan makes Man Utd DEMANDS ahead of transfer

Yoro is a fantastic fit to play on the right side of Ruben Amorim's back three, and that is the position he's been taking up in training. It fits his skill-set almost perfectly and, if he's fit enough to start, Man Utd fans will see just why their club spent all that money on a teenage centre-back.

3. Rasmus Hojlund

Everyone is currently gushing about Viktor Gyokeres, and rightly so because the Swedish striker has been lights out for Sporting since signing for them in 2023.

Gyokeres was on the Brighton books as a youngster before a loan spell at Coventry City turning permanent. He was playing well in the Championship, with 40 goals in 97 games after the move was made permanent, but who could have seen his success at Sporting coming?

Well, Hugo Viana (Sporting's director of football) and Ruben Amorim. Gyokeres scored 43 goals in 50 games during his debut season and so far this season has 23 in 18, including a hat-trick against Man City!

He's been so good many Man Utd fans have been clamouring for the club to sign him. However what they don't realise is that they've got their own Gyokeres.

Rasmus Hojlund is a Scandanavian striker with a rasping shot and powerful running style. And ok, he's only scored 18 times in 55 games, but he's 21 years-old, not 26 like Gyokeres. At 21 Gyokeres was scoring 7 times in 26 games in the 2. Bundesliga for St. Pauli.

Moreover, Hojlund has not been in a good system or had a good coach. Put him in the Ruben Amorim machine and he could turn into the kind of goalscorer that Gyokeres is, and Man Utd can spend their money on other key roles.

READ MORE: Lewandowski tells Amorim how to fix MAJOR Man Utd problem

4. Antony

With the exception of his debut goal against Arsenal, his goal and assist against Liverpool in the FA Cup, and his stunning assist against Chelsea... Antony has been terrible. There's no need to elaborate on that point it's just a widely accepted and understood fact. Like gravity.

However, what should be worth noting is that Antony has three things going in his favour: he's young, he works hard and he's talented.

Now with Ruben Amorim playing him at wing-back in training, we may be about to see the Brazilian reinvented. His skill-set of being fast, working hard and occasionally doing something incredible does lend itself to playing wing-back in Man Utd's system, so this is something to keep an eye on.

5. Bruno Fernandes

We end where we must: with the captain.

There's no doubt that Bruno Fernandes is absolutely brilliant. Since his Man Utd debut, Mohamed Salah is the only Premier League player with more direct goal involvements than him. And he's been playing for a mostly average Man Utd.

But United's increasing terribleness has put Bruno into a position where he's had to play heroball more often. And while that comes naturally to him, it's not always the best thing for him as a player.

So the Ruben Amorim 3-4-2-1 should provide much-needed refuge for the Man Utd captain. Now he'll be part of a system where his direct style will be complimented by team-mates coached to move and make runs, and to find him in advanced pockets of space. He won't have to try and do it all himself because he'll be able to trust in his team-mates.

READ MORE: Real Madrid or Riyals? Five clubs that could sign Paul Pogba

Or maybe he won't be able to let go of his manic instincts and will flame out of the team in favour of someone like Mason Mount who will press forever and use the ball with a more considered manner.

Either way, it'll be Must See TV!