CHRIS WHEELER: Ruben Amorim knows he has a tough task at Man United

In his own words, he started the day a bit 'anxious'. Towards the end, Ruben Amorim looked rather exhausted after drawing with Ipswich on a windy Portman Road in his first game as Manchester United head coach.

A tired-looking Amorim stepped back onto the pitch to speak to Sky Sports' pundits, including Roy Keane, who had composed himself after that row with a home fan.

“This is the last time,” he said. 'I have spoken more this week than in four years at Sporting Lisbon. If you talk too much and don't win, it's very difficult for everyone.'

Amorim does not need to be told that the time for talking is over. He has had the farewell in Lisbon and the welcome in Manchester, his unveiling at United and now his first game in the Premier League.

After a rather disappointing start, he looked like a man who just wants to get back on the training pitch with his players with the little time they have before Bodo Glimt arrives at Old Trafford in the Europa League on Thursday. United have ten games in the next five weeks, so preparation time will be limited.

Amorim has been appointed head coach and coaching is what he is good at. He's a great communicator and a natural in front of the cameras, but the 39-year-old is most at home on the grass, where he improves players and persuades them to follow his philosophy.

And thank goodness there is a lot of room for improvement right now. Scared and confused were just two of the words Amorim used to describe his players against Ipswich.

“They tried, but they have so much room for improvement and that's a good thing,” he added. “They can do so much better.”

United's new boss warned us there wasn't enough time to make radical changes before his first game in charge, but that we would see 'an idea' of what he stands for, and he was right.

United played in its 3-4-3 formation with Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui, the two men who were most out of their comfort zones, playing as right wing-back and centre-back respectively.

In fairness, they were two of United's better players and Amad set up the opening goal for Marcus Rashford after just 80 seconds.

Amorim chose not to celebrate and it was a wise move. United had a chronic knack for giving up leads under Erik ten Hag and they were at it again at Portman Road when Omari Hutchinson equalized before half-time with a shot that cost Mazraoui an unfortunate knock.

A draw was the least Ipswich deserved as Andre Onana made a series of crucial saves, most notably from Liam Delap.

It wasn't the only known problem from the Ten Hag era that Amorim had to deal with. With Casemiro and Christian Eriksen he had an aging tandem in midfield. Diogo Dalot again had to play out of position on the left. For all the talk about players having to run faster to carry out his pressing play, the United team's combined distance of 102 kilometers was the second lowest this season.

At least some of these problems will resolve themselves. Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia returned to the bench at Ipswich for the first time this season – in Malacia's case, the first in 18 months – so the left-wing problems that plagued United for much of last season are almost over.

Manuel Ugarte replaced Casemiro in the second half and is likely to do so permanently after Amorim admitted he only chose the Brazilian because he had to train longer with Carrington last week and prepare for this match.

Kobbie Mainoo was also back in the selection for the first time in seven weeks and offers Eriksen a more energetic option. It would be a surprise if Ugarte and Mainoo aren't the preferred combination sooner or later, with the Uruguayan sitting and the England midfielder pushing through when necessary.

However, other problems will not be solved so easily. It's a problem that dates back to the days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.

Amorim's success at Sporting was based on the collective effort of his players, and the game plan depends on it. He has no choice but to rely on this squad for now, but in the long run he may have no choice but to bring in a fitter, more willing group of players.

And then there's the problem of scoring goals. Rashford got off to a dream start to the Amorim era, but then disappeared from the game, and not for the first time. Getting the best out of the wildly erratic Rashford is one of his biggest challenges.

Alejandro Garnacho squandered the chances he had against Ipswich, while Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee had little effect. United lacked creativity and were rarely in danger after taking the lead.

It is one of the many thoughts that must have occupied Amorim's mind on the return journey from Suffolk.

He admitted that the cause of his fear was that he didn't really know what he would get from his team at Portman Road; the lack of reassurance and control he enjoyed at Sporting.

In that case, it's really starting to become an uncomfortable introduction to life in the Premier League.