I feel like we have already seen a different Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, but some issues are going to take longer to resolve.

The international break meant he only had a couple of training sessions with some of his players before facing Ipswich in his first game in charge, but there were still some patterns of play that looked promising.

You could see an obvious balance to their team in Sunday’s draw following the switch to his 3-4-3 system and there were certain things that he had clearly worked on and asked them to do.

Amorim is trying to make United more composed and measured in possession, but there were also times when they passed forward quickly and with purpose.

Overall, they looked more confident and courageous with the ball than they have done recently but, on the downside, it was still too easy to play through them when they were without it.

That allowed Ipswich to grow into the game and, with the chances they had, they will probably be disappointed not to have won.

‘Finding pockets of space’ – what are United’s forwards doing now?

Getting their wing-backs forward, like Amad Diallo did to set up their early goal, was a big part of United’s attacking plan.

Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho, the two players behind Marcus Rashford, were also getting into pockets of space, but were much narrower than Diallo and Diogo Dalot.

Garnacho is usually a lot wider when he plays as a winger, but this was a different role for him, as I highlighted on MOTD2.

The reason Amorim wants Garnacho and Fernandes in more central areas is because, as well as leaving space for the wing-backs, it also means that when they get the ball on the turn, they can run directly at goal.

They did that several times in the first half, and it made United look a lot more dynamic and dangerous in attack than they did at the end of Erik ten Hag’s spell as manager.

It didn’t last, however. I think Amorim would have expected a bit more from his side going forward after half-time, and he will be quietly disappointed they did not cause Ipswich more problems then.

You have to give some credit to Ipswich’s game management for that, though. They play a high-energy style and you cannot do that for 90 minutes.

Their players had been working very hard when the game was more open and end-to-end, but there was a spell in the second half where they just dropped in and filled those spaces that United had utilised earlier.

That settled the game down until Ipswich made changes that refreshed their front line, and United did not find a way of getting in behind them.

‘This team will evolve’ – is Ugarte part of the answer?

Every system has its pros and cons and, even if this United team were used to playing 3-4-3, there are still issues that come with using that shape.

While having Garnacho and Fernandes playing inside worked in an attacking sense, it meant Ipswich’s full-backs could get up the pitch very easily, and double up with their wingers to give them overloads in the wide areas.

The other problem with that formation is that it asks the two central midfielders to cover a lot of ground, particularly in a league as demanding as the Premier League.

Casemiro and Christian Eriksen had a lot of work to do, and you could argue that the athleticism that is required is not their strongest trait. Ipswich played well and made it difficult for them, by dragging them everywhere.

To play that role well, United’s midfielders will need to be more than just mobile, too. They will both have to love the defensive side of the game and be able to spot danger then be fast enough to stop it.

In the long run, I think Manuel Ugarte will be one of them. He needs a run of games to get his sharpness back but we have seen glimpses of how good he is, for example in the Europa League against Fenerbahce last month, and he has flourished under Amorim at Sporting before.

As for who Ugarte will have alongside him, well it will probably be someone who is not at the club at the moment – there is going to have to be activity in the next couple of transfer window for them to get the type of player Amorim requires.

Until that happens, United are always going to find it hard without the ball but this team is going to evolve, and so could Amorim’s tactics.

As I said on MOTD2, I would be amazed if United are still playing the same 3-4-3 system in a year’s time because the Premier League is very different to continental leagues.

If United are going to improve and become competitive for the title, I think Amorim’s formation will evolve into something else but, in the meantime, at least their fans have already seen some progress.

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.

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