Ruben Amorim is challenging his Manchester United players after just one game in charge

It hasn't taken Ruben Amorim long to discover one of Manchester United's biggest weaknesses, and his squad should take his willingness to go public with it as a challenge.

It felt revealing when Amorim mentioned with a big smile in his first press conference last week that it was obvious to everyone that this team didn't run back hard enough. A weakness other teams have long been taking advantage of was suddenly flagged in public by the head coach.

Things didn't noticeably improve at Portman Road on Sunday and United's players seemed to be lacking physically against a strong and committed Ipswich side. But then these two teams have had training plans designed to enable them to carry out those game plans.

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Many good teams these days define themselves by their work-rate, and too often, United have been found lacking. There has been space behind the full-backs and the midfield that has been too easily exploited. Amorim is clearly determined to change that.

So when he asked about the strengths of Bodo Glimt in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, it again felt telling that one area he chose to highlight was their running capacity.

"I'm expecting a very good team, they can win the league this week, I think," Amorim said of the Norwegian side.

"They run a lot and that is a very good thing for us in this moment. We need to improve that. So we know in this game we have to run a lot.

"They have some special players on the wings, they can play on the pockets very well and they have that aura of winning games and this is because they are winning all the time.

"I’m expecting a very, very intense game, a very good game, and I hope to see different things, improve some things we didn't do so well in the last game so it will be a good game."

If United are outrun by the side sitting top of the Norwegian Eliteserien, they should still have enough to win. Quality should still overcome work-rate, but it's clear Amorim doesn't want that to happen. He wants United to be better on the ball and off it in every game.

Improving United's running efforts will take time. It involves a shift in mentality and physical training, and Paulo Barreira will have a key role in getting the players ready to give what Amorim demands of them.

The mention of the "special players" on the wings sets up an interesting selection at wing-back. Does Amorim look to continue with Amad and maybe bring in another attacking wide player, or does he play it safe with a more conservative selection? At Sporting, it was Amorim's wing-backs who had to do more running than anybody else, and this fixture could be an early test of which United players are up for the challenge.

It will undoubtedly be fascinating to see how they react. Their new head coach clearly doesn't have an issue with calling them out in public over their ability to run back and cover ground, but some might not appreciate being called out on an aspect of the game that is seen as a basic requirement for supporters. It isn't a good look.

It's an early indicator of how Amorim intends to approach things at Old Trafford. He has told the players what they must improve, and now he has told everyone else as well. By once again raising running power in a press conference and mentioning it as a strength of Thursday's opponents, he has laid down a challenge to his own team.

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