Ruud van Nistelrooy made three Manchester United improvements Ruben Amorim can build on

The countdown to Ruben Amorim's first game in charge of Manchester United is officially on.

The new head coach flew into Manchester Airport on Monday afternoon and was immediately driven to the club's Carrington training ground, where he was greeted by Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox.

Amorim, who took charge of Sporting Lisbon for the final time on Sunday evening, is now waiting to obtain a work permit before he can officially start conducting training sessions and begin the process of implementing his ideas on the grass.

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The 39-year-old, who was United's top target to succeed Erik ten Hag, is, however, soon expected to receive the permit, meaning it will not be long before he can roll his sleeves up and get to work. He will take charge of United for the first time when they travel to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town on November 24.

Despite walking into a new job mid-season, Amorim, thanks to the recent efforts of Ruud van Nistelrooy, has walked into an upbeat environment. The aforementioned Dutchman, whose exit from Old Trafford was confirmed just hours after Amorim's feet connected with English tarmac, led United to three wins and a draw from his four games in interim charge.

Picking up the baton from Ten Hag, the former United striker brought a sense of togetherness and energy back to M16 during his fortnight at the helm. He improved the team's collective results and got more out of individuals, creating a platform for Amorim to build on.

Home form

Prior to Ten Hag's exit on October 28, United had won three, drawn one and lost two of their opening six home games across all competitions this season, scoring 11 goals and conceding eight. They won just two of their first four Premier League home games and lost 3-0 to both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

United's home record since the start of last season has been nowhere near good enough, meaning pressure was on Van Nistelrooy to try and turn their M16 fortunes around. United blew Leicester City away in the Carabao Cup, winning 5-2, before making light work of them again in the league on Sunday, winning 3-0.

Sandwiched between those two wins over the Foxes was a 1-1 draw with Chelsea and a routine 2-0 win over Greek club PAOK. United scored 11 goals and conceded three in Van Nistelrooy's four games in charge, marking an upturn in their fortunes at home.

Currently four points shy of the top four, it is by no means an impossible gap to try and bridge. However, United's home form will be crucial in their quest to reel in those above them in the table.

After facing Ipswich on November 24, Amorim will have back-to-back home games, facing Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on November 28 before hosting Everton in the Premier League on December 1. United will head into both games as favourites, offering Amorim the opportunity to build on some of the recent foundations laid by Van Nistelrooy.

Ugarte's upturn

It is unlikely any player in the squad will be more delighted with the appointment of Amorim than Manuel Ugarte. They worked together at Sporting and know each other inside out.

After often being overlooked by Ten Hag in the first few weeks of his United career, Van Nistelrooy used his time in charge to try and kick-start the Uruguayan's season. He started each of the the Dutchman's four games in charge, producing an upturn in performance levels.

Deployed alongside Casemiro on each occasion, the 23-year-old worked hand-in-hand with the Brazilian, giving United a sense of balance and control in midfield. He was excellent in Sunday's win over Leicester, making eight tackles to highlight exactly why he was brought to Old Trafford at the end of the transfer window.

Given Amorim is set to implement a 3-4-3 system at Old Trafford, central-midfield spots will have to be earned on merit. Ugarte's recent showings, courtesy of Van Nistelrooy's willingness to give him a long overdue chance to get some consistency under his belt, means he could bag one against Ipswich.

Fernandes' attacking output

You would have been hard-pressed to find anyone who would have predicted that Bruno Fernandes would have to wait until October 30 for his first goal(s) of the season.

The Portuguese international failed to score in any of his first 13 appearances of the campaign, opening his account in the first game of Van Nistelrooy's interim spell in charge, scoring twice in the Carabao Cup win over Leicester. He then scored from the spot against Chelsea before netting the opener against Leicester on Sunday with a fantastic effort.

Unlucky to not score a second at the weekend, Fernandes also registered two assists during Van Nistelrooy's stint in caretaker charge, meaning he enjoyed a very productive period inside the final third. He will now be hoping to continue his upturn in form under Amorim, who must work out where he plans to deploy the United captain in his preferred system.