🔗 Share this article Now is right to change Man Utd's formation - Amorim insists. Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes was among seven senior stars absent from the Boxing Day triumph against Newcastle. Manager Ruben Amorim argues that changing Man Utd's formation due to public scrutiny would have meant "the end" for him. For the first time against Newcastle, Amorim abandoned his customary three-at-the-back setup with wing-backs and instead deploy an orthodox four-man defense shielded by two defensive midfielders. By his own admission this at times transformed into a six-man defensive block in the final stages as his team held on for a win - securing just their second-ever shutout of the campaign. While he once notably stated that even the Pope could pressure him to tweak his approach, Amorim asserts the option to play with different setups has consistently been part of his strategy. Yet, he stresses he could only alter the tactics when his team were faring at an acceptable level - or else it would appear as if he was giving in to external criticism. "When I came here the previous campaign, I understood perhaps I didn't possess the squad to play well in that system, but it was the commencement of a project," he said. "We were trying to forge an style. Today is a separate time. We don't have a lot of players, and we have to adapt, so they see the reason we are making changes. "It is not because of the pressure of you guys, or the faithful. "Whenever media discuss changing the system all the time, I cannot make a change because the squad will think I'm changing because of you and I feel that is the downfall for the coach. "When we are getting results in our system, that is the right time to change. "This will help us grow into a more complete team because when all the players are available, we are not intending to use a back three exclusively." Squad Crisis Persist Having only two victories in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to say his side have been playing well. He is, though, operating with a severely stretched squad, with multiple senior stars already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolves. That number will rise if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval. Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be urging his boss to allow him to return following his hamstring injury. "Fernandes is already telling me he has to train," revealed Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive." Fernandes' Role Is Unwavering Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will almost certainly continue to be a prominent presence, as whereas most injured players watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game. Amorim expects his leader to continue providing guidance. "He is a leader," he declared. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper. "He has flaws at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a multitude of good things. After he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the other guys training. There are a lot of aspects you don't see. "I don't know if he desires my job or not, but he's a born leader. He is a true captain." Return Timeline for Key Players While the exact date for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes was among seven senior stars absent from the Boxing Day triumph against Newcastle. Manager Ruben Amorim argues that changing Man Utd's formation due to public scrutiny would have meant "the end" for him. For the first time against Newcastle, Amorim abandoned his customary three-at-the-back setup with wing-backs and instead deploy an orthodox four-man defense shielded by two defensive midfielders. By his own admission this at times transformed into a six-man defensive block in the final stages as his team held on for a win - securing just their second-ever shutout of the campaign. While he once notably stated that even the Pope could pressure him to tweak his approach, Amorim asserts the option to play with different setups has consistently been part of his strategy. Yet, he stresses he could only alter the tactics when his team were faring at an acceptable level - or else it would appear as if he was giving in to external criticism. "When I came here the previous campaign, I understood perhaps I didn't possess the squad to play well in that system, but it was the commencement of a project," he said. "We were trying to forge an style. Today is a separate time. We don't have a lot of players, and we have to adapt, so they see the reason we are making changes. "It is not because of the pressure of you guys, or the faithful. "Whenever media discuss changing the system all the time, I cannot make a change because the squad will think I'm changing because of you and I feel that is the downfall for the coach. "When we are getting results in our system, that is the right time to change. "This will help us grow into a more complete team because when all the players are available, we are not intending to use a back three exclusively." Squad Crisis Persist Having only two victories in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to say his side have been playing well. He is, though, operating with a severely stretched squad, with multiple senior stars already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolves. That number will rise if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval. Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be urging his boss to allow him to return following his hamstring injury. "Fernandes is already telling me he has to train," revealed Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive." Fernandes' Role Is Unwavering Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will almost certainly continue to be a prominent presence, as whereas most injured players watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game. Amorim expects his leader to continue providing guidance. "He is a leader," he declared. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper. "He has flaws at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a multitude of good things. After he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the other guys training. There are a lot of aspects you don't see. "I don't know if he desires my job or not, but he's a born leader. He is a true captain." Return Timeline for Key Players While the exact date for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.