Ruben Amorim reacts on the touchline.
United head coach Ruben Amorim is still searching for his best XI.
Ruben Amorim has tasted his first defeat as Manchester United boss in a defeat against Arsenal that showed just how much work he has to do moving forward.
Make no mistake, it could take several years before United make themselves genuine title contenders, once again, like the Gunners. In addition to that, Amorim will be hoping to pick up more silverware than Mikel Arteta has at the Emirates Stadium if he stays in post as long as the Spaniard.
United's recent history, which shows League Cup and FA Cup wins, indicate that Amorim should be able to deliver trophies while fixing any lingering problems at M16. Conversely, though, how much did his predecessor Erik ten Hag sacrifice in implementing his vision to play a more basic style of football to stave off the sack by winning trophies?
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It's a conundrum that Amorim will have to deal with, although he's already hinted he won't give up his methods just to get results. That will be tested if the Reds endure a poor run of form, and the former Sporting boss comes under pressure in that would-be scenario.
One theme during Amorim's tenure so far has been his decision to heavily rotate his starting line-up from match to match. It's an understandable decision in some ways with the need to keep players fresh as they play nine games in December alone.
The Reds face Premier League, Carabao Cup and Europa League fixtures in what could be a season-defining period. Rotation is understandable.
But it also holds some risks with players needing to gel and learn a new system. Chopping and changing from game to game will only stunt some of that progress.
United have had 21 different starters - in four games - under Amorim with Marcus Rashford and Amad the notable players to miss out against the Gunners on Wednesday. The changes made an impact on United's attacking output, with so few chances created by a group that appeared to have little cohesion.
More changes are likely to be made on Saturday against Nottingham Forest, although Amorim admitted on Friday that he's getting closer to choosing what could be considered his first XI.
Whether injuries or fatigue will limit his options is another possibility and Amorim can do little about that. Putting out a settled XI more regularly, though, will be his aim as he looks to salvage something from the 2024/25 season, before planning ahead to the future.