Ruben Amorim hails 'crucial' Erik ten Hag signing who shone in new Manchester United role

Ruben Amorim will have learned a lot about his Manchester United players during their 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon. United sparked into life with an exciting breakaway goal within ninety seconds of the kick-off, but overall it was another laboured performance that was littered with basic errors and poor decision-making throughout.

Amorim always knew it would take time for his style of play to be successfully implemented and there should be huge improvements in the weeks ahead once international stars are back in the fold and players have had longer on the training ground to understand their new demands.

It wasn't all doom and gloom though, and amid the poor team performance, there were still a number of impressive individual performances that gave encouragement for the rest of the season. Andre Onana picked up the Player of the Match award for his heroics in goal, though it was summer signing Noussair Mazraoui who earned special praise from the new head coach after his display as a makeshift centre-back.

"We don't have many central defenders, so we have to adapt," Amorim told reporters after the match. "I think Mazraoui did very well. He is very intelligent and very important for us. He can play anywhere and this kind of player is crucial for our future."

Mazroaui played the entirety of the clash at Portman Road, finishing with 127 touches of the ball, 105 of which were accurate passes to teammates. He won two tackles, made two clearances, won 11 duels and even created one chance of his own in what was a very well-rounded performance.