United were held by Ipswich in Amorim’s first game in charge and while there have been bright spots – a hammering of Everton and a derby win over faltering rivals City, plus two Europa League wins – defeats to Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth show there is plenty of work to do.

Amorim does not rotate to plan for the long term, though. He has stated previously it is simply to reduce the likelihood of injuries so he does not have bigger issues in the short and medium term. The amount of rotation also reflects on his demands with the increase in intensity another new aspect for the players.

Manchester United were humiliated as Bournemouth ran riot at Old Trafford on a sobering day for Ruben Amorim. The result means United will be in the bottom half of the table at Christmas for the first time since the 1989-90 season.