Owen Hargreaves has revealed that Ruben Amorim was ‘really frustrated’ with several Manchester United players during their 1-1 Premier League draw with Ipswich Town on Sunday, his first game in charge.
United showed glimpses of potential but also fell into familiar bad habits, prompting Amorim to acknowledge that his overhaul will require significant time. The new manager has called for patience from fans, warning that the team will ‘suffer for a long period’ as they adapt to his tactical demands.
However, Hargreaves – who was near the technical area during the game – observed Amorim’s visible dissatisfaction with the performances of several players including Diogo Dalot, Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund, and Marcus Rashford.
Speaking about Amorim’s reactions in the dugout after the match, Hargreaves said: ‘He was pretty frustrated, I’m not going to lie. He was right in front of me and he was really, really frustrated with a lot of things. I think initially Dalot’s positioning, I think he was a little bit frustrated with that in the first half.
‘I think the midfield balance he didn’t really like, and when Zirkzee came on I don’t think he was overly happy with his positioning and Hojlund as well. So there’s a lot of stuff that needs a little bit of work.
‘Before the game, we saw all those smiles and all that charm from Ruben Amorim but during the game he was really frustrated, I think he realised this is going to be a lot harder than he envisioned.’
Owen Hargreaves has revealed that Ruben Amorim was ‘really frustrated’ with several Manchester United on Sunday
United showed glimpses of potential but also fell into familiar bad habits, prompting Amorim to acknowledge that his overhaul will require significant time
One of Hargreaves’ major takeaways was Amorim’s choice of midfield, noting his surprise that 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo remained on the bench.
Hargreaves believes Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte will likely form Amorim’s preferred midfield pairing. He expressed skepticism about relying on Christian Eriksen and Casemiro together in a Premier League midfield.
‘If you think you’re going to play with Eriksen and Casemiro as a midfield two in the Premier League you’re going to struggle,’ Hargreaves added. ‘I thought Omari [Hutchinson] on that half turn had the beating of them every time.
‘Once he got it out of his feet, with that close control and that low centre of gravity, I thought Eriksen and Casemiro were always going to struggle, I just thought in a way it was made for Ugarte.
‘I was really surprised Kobbie Mainoo didn’t come off the bench with the changes they made. Bruno Fernandes dropping deeper and Marcus coming off. I think it’s going to take a bit of time to find what his best team is going to be.’
Hargreaves also warned that United could continue to struggle unless they quickly adapt to Amorim’s methods. Reflecting on the game, he credited Ipswich Town’s impressive performance while critiquing United’s inability to capitalise on their strong start.
‘I expected a lot more but you have to credit Ipswich Town, I thought they played brilliant football,’ Hargreaves said. ‘Obviously the first goal Manchester United scored was terrific.
‘I thought, wow, what a start, two minutes in, but basically after that they didn’t do any more. Amad playing as a right wing back being left-footed, I’m not sure, I think he played okay today.
Omari Hutchinson equalised for Ipswich Town in the 43rd minute with a long-range effort
Hargreaves – who was near the technical area during the game – observed Amorim’s visible dissatisfaction with the performances of several players
Those players included Marcus Rashford – who scored Man United’s only goal of the game
‘I just thought after that start you go get another one but really the team that played after that I thought was Ipswich Town. They were by far the better team in the first half, in my opinion. I thought United were better in the last 20 minutes but after that start you would think, ‘let’s go attack’.
Hargreaves went on to highlight specific positional issues, particularly with Rashford and Garnacho, and Amorim’s frustration with their roles. He said: ‘I thought [Alejandro] Garnacho was pretty quiet, couldn’t get on the ball, and Ruben Amorim, he looked really frustrated, in that first half especially.
‘I don’t think Marcus knew at times where he needed to be when the ball was in certain areas and Ruben was quite frustrated with that. I think maybe Garnacho comes off and Marcus plays on the left.
‘Even Zirkzee played as a No 10 and I don’t think that suited him. I think Marcus prefers to play on the left, and you could see that today. To me there looked like four or five players playing outside their natural position and that showed at times.
‘Looking at that today I didn’t feel like it suited a lot of the players out there. I think the team will look different in a few weeks’ time. Ugarte will get in there, Kobbie will get in there, obviously [Lisandro] Martinez, [Leny] Yoro and [Luke] Shaw, who I thought looked good when he came on.
‘If it wasn’t for [Andre] Onana they would have lost that game today. It’s going to take a bit of time, personnel wise, maybe not the best with what they have but this is how the manager wants to play and if you don’t fit you probably won’t be here very long.’
Ultimately, Hargreaves believes Manchester United face a steep learning curve as Amorim attempts to implement his system, with significant challenges still ahead for the 2024-2025 campaign.
