No utopia for Man Utd as Anorim gets close-up view of challenge ahead

IPSWICH, England : When Manchester United scored 81 seconds into Ruben Amorim's first game as head coach Sky Sports commentator Peter Drury described the moment as utopian.

Amorim himself barely celebrated Marcus Rashford's close-range effort though and simply sipped from his water bottle.

The Portuguese knew full well there was still a long way to go, not just in the game, but also on the road to turning around the fortunes of England's most successful club.

Struggling Ipswich duly equalised and were perhaps the better side in a 1-1 Premier League draw at Portman Road.

For all the early hysteria among the travelling United fans in Suffolk, Amorim was given a close-up view of exactly how much work he has in front of him.

Former United captain Roy Keane said that for all talk of a 'temporary bounce' effect, there was precious little evidence on the pitch that the squad Amorim has inherited is good enough.

"It was all very positive before the game, but when it started it was the same old stuff," Keane told Sky Sports. "Predictable and a real lack of quality."

Amorim, whose impressive work at Sporting in Portugal convinced United's hierarchy to appoint him in the wake of Erik ten Hag's exit, was warmly applauded by the United fans after the final whistle. But they know patience will be required.

The 39-year-old has had just a few days working with the whole squad because of the international break and admitted that getting his philosophy, including his preferred 3-4-3 system across to the players, will not be a smooth process.

"I learned today that it's a tough league," Amorim, who took Sporting to the Portuguese title last season, told Sky Sports.

"I think my players were thinking too much during the game. You could feel it. When