Key events
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Bodo/Glimt (Evjen, 19)
What a cracking strike!
18 mins: Fernandes takes a punt from distance but his shot bounces well wide of the post. It is all United at the moment and Amorim is pacing up and down the touchline eager for a second.
16 mins: Garnacho darts into the box and pulls it back to Mount in space but Haikin is equal to the shot. The goalkeeper is called upon moments later to do similar to a Fernandes effort. United are looking lively in the final third which is pretty novel for them.
There is a sea of yellow in the corner at Old Trafford and the Bodo fans are bouncing.
14 mins: Antony gets his first chance to do something useful but instead of playing a clever pass to Mount in space in the box, he sends it backwards.
12 mins: Zinckernagel receives a pass on the edge of the box and moves the ball quickly to beat a couple of defenders but he is off-balance as he shoots, ensuring the effort trickles towards goal.
10 mins: Knutsen is also pitchside making plenty of notes as he plots a route back into this game. His team are doing their bit to make this a game with their own brand of intensity and constant pressing.
8 mins: Bjorkan uses the space given to him on the left to get into the box but his cross is cleared for a corner. Some signs of promise for Bodo. The attack results in Amorim getting off the bench and into the technical area.
6 mins: Haikin has quite an eclectic and is actual a British national having spent a lot of his youth in the country. He can’t have fancied making such a mistake on his return to his ‘homeland’.
4 mins: It does look like United are bit more energetic than in the Ten Hag epoch. They are putting in plenty of effort to press the opposition.
GOAL! Haikin lets a backpasss roll across him, Hojlund puts him under pressure and blocks the clearance, which lands to Garnacho who taps into an empty net.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Bodo/Glimt (Garnacho, 1)
WHAT A MISTAKE FROM THE GOALKEEPER.
1 min: Malacia’s first involvement is to needless to give the ball away in his own half to give Bodo the chance to counter. They get to the edge of the box but are held up.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Amorim comes out of the tunnel to chants oh ‘Ruben! Ruben! Ruben!’.
Kevin Wilson emails: “If Amorim can get Mount anywhere near his Chelsea prime, then that will be a huge bonus. He’s still young and despite a rough few years, he’s still very talented. Whether he works better as one of the deeper midfielders or in the front three remains to be seen, but if he can stay fit, he’ll give the manager options.”
Amorim: “I am really calm, I expect a good game, a good environment, I am feeling that belonging with the fans. I am expecting the team to show different things, we need to improve.”
On Malacia: “He is an international player, he plays there for the national team, he is very aggressive, he played 45 minutes for the under-21s and he is ready.”
On Antony: “He needs to be ready, he will play the position he has for a long time, he has some things to do defensively but otherwise it’s the same position.”
It is six changes from Amorim following his first game at Ipswich. I am fascinated to see how he uses Antony. The Brazilian really is Last Chance Saloon having been the worst signing in the club’s history.
I woke up in Monaco today but now find myself in Manchester. You should be impressed by my committed to MBMing.
YOU HAVE OPTIONS! Join Luke McLaughlin for Spurs v Roma.
Could Amorim be the man to get the best out of Rashford?
Interesting from Amorim as Antony and Malacia are given their chance. Could Amorim be the man to get the best out of Antony?
Get in the mood with Nick Ames.
Starting lineups
Manchester United (3-4-3): Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez; Antony, Ugarte, Fernandes, Malacia; Mount, Hojlund, Garnacho
Subs: Bayindir, Heaton, Rashford, Zirkzee, Eriksen, Diallo, Dalot, Shaw, Mainoo
Bodo/Glimt (4-3-3): Haikin; Wembangomo, Gundersen, Bjortuft, Bjorkan; Evjen, Berg, Brunstad Fet; Zinckernagel, Helmersen, Hauge
Subs: Faye Lund, Nielsen, Auklend, Hogh, Espejord, Saltnes, Moe, Sjovold, Maata, Sorli, Sorensen, Mikkelsen
Preamble
I am sure we can all find exciting firsts for Ruben Amorim in the coming weeks and months but tonight he is ticking off his Old Trafford debut as United boss and taking charge of them in Europe for the first time. After drawing at Ipswich, he will be hoping for a more convincing performance but his team are learning on the move. As Amorim knows, United need to quickly improve in Europe if they are to guarantee a place in the next round, so need to build some momentum.
Bodo/Glimt are in town, swapping the artic conditions of home for something only slightly milder. The Norwegians are managed by Kjetil Knutsen who is linked to every half-decent job in English football but seems pretty happy with his lot and why wouldn’t he be?
Kick-off: 8pm GMT