Ruben Amorim's future at Man Utd is in serious doubt - but one simple change could save him

Manchester United had a disastrous 2024-25 season, recording a 15th-placed finish in the league - their worst in the Premier League era - and suffering a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final, but a strong summer transfer window and promising pre-season meant hopes were high heading into the new campaign.

However, performances and results have remained largely unimproved, with Man Utd managing only one win from their five fixtures across all competitions, including particularly devastating defeats against Manchester City (3-0) in the league and a penalty loss to Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup.

As a result, the pressure on Ruben Amorim has quickly increased, with fans and pundits alike questioning whether the Portuguese manager, who has astonishingly failed to win back-to-back league games since his appointment in November 2024, is the right man to turn the team's fortunes around before the campaign slips any further out of control.

The main criticism of the manager has been his seeming inability and unwillingness to adapt his preferred system despite its clear shortcomings, despite many calling for Amorim to change his 3-4-2-1 formation in order to better utilise the players at his disposal and provide a greater balance across the team.

With a potentially pivotal clash against Chelsea looming this weekend, Amorim faces a critical moment in his time at the club, where a tactical adjustment could prove the difference between securing a result and saving his job, or continuing their struggles and being relieved of his duties.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the simple tactical change that could save Amorim's future at Manchester United.

3-4-2-1: Why is it struggling?

Amorim's 3-4-2-1 may have worked wonders at Sporting Lisbon, but there are multiple clear shortcomings that, after 10 months in the job, suggest that this system simply does not work in English football.

It has less to do with the formation than the tactical approach, as demonstrated by Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace thriving despite also playing a similar shape, but their overall style of play is vastly different to Amorim's.

Manchester United currently struggle to work the ball through the middle of the park, with possession often circulated around the back five and goalkeeper before being played either down the line for an early cross into the box or directly switched with a long ball to the opposite flank.

This allows teams to comfortably defend against the Red Devils, as there is little room for innovation or creativity to unsettle opposition defenders, leading to Man Utd often resorting to taking a larger number of low expected-goal (xG) shots compared to other teams in the division.

In addition, the formation currently fails to make the most of the players at Amorim's disposal, as the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Amad and Patrick Dorgu often feel like square pegs forced intro round holes.

Fernandes has been one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League since his arrival at Manchester United, but by forcing the midfielder into a deeper role as part of a midfield two, the Portuguese star is often too far from the opposition goal to have a real attacking influence, while his defensive shortcomings are exposed more with each game.

Alongside Manuel Ugarte or Casemiro, this midfield two is far too vulnerable and easily bypassed by opposition sides - who often play with three midfielders - while Fernandes's awareness in defensive situations means attackers are left unmarked far too often.

Furthermore, due to the wing-backs serving as the main attacking outlet for the team, Dorgu is frequently picking up positions as one of the most advanced Man Utd players, taking up spaces where a winger would often receive the ball for other teams.

While Dorgu has shown encouraging signs, it is clear that a more naturally-gifted attacking star would be far more effective with the ball in these areas - players such as Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho come to mind.

However, as demonstrated by Amad's role in the team, forcing a natural winger into this position also requires them to track back and cover the entire flank, often leaving them out of their comfort zone defensively and poorly positioned when attacking.

4-2-3-1: Why a simple change could save Amorim's future

Amorim could solve several of these issues by simply changing to a 4-2-3-1 or any other similar formation, such as a 4-3-3.

By changing to a more familiar four-defender system, Man Utd would be able to introduce another player into the midfield, meaning Fernandes could be shifted forward into his more natural 'number 10' position, while a midfield pivot would help establish a stronger base to build from both defensively and offensively.

The introduction of a midfield three would also create space for Kobbie Mainoo to return to the starting team on a regular basis, with the Carrington graduate currently struggling for gametime due to competing with captain Fernandes for the more advanced of the two midfield spots in the 3-4-2-1.

Mainoo would significantly improve Man Utd's ability to progress the play through the middle of the pitch, as the midfielder excels at picking the ball up from the central defenders and dribbling up the pitch, while Mainoo also possesses a strong ability of playing through opposition lines.

Furthermore, the re-introduction of wingers for Man Utd would enable Bryan Mbeumo to return to a more familiar role in the team, while Matheus Cunha is more than capable of starting from the left wing position.

This would ensure that the likes of Dorgu and Diogo Dalot would no longer become the main outlets in wide positions, though they would still be able to get involved in attacks by making overlapping or underlapping runs for their respective wingers to use.

Arguably the biggest downside to changing to this system would mean that one of their attacking stars would have to drop out of the team, with the most likely candidate being Amad, who would be competing with Mbeumo for the right wing position.

However, many of the best teams in the league and the world all possess two fantastic options in each position, such as Arsenal having Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke as right wing options, with this squad depth allowing the top teams to compete on multiple fronts.

Finally, a change to the 4-2-3-1 could help unlock the abilities of Benjamin Sesko as the starting striker, as having four attacking players, as well as full-backs and defensive midfielders capable of joining offensive moves, would mean the opposition defence would have more attackers to focus on.

There would also be more gaps between each player, as currently Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo often occupy similar positions in the middle of the box, meaning each would have more room to manoeuvre and make runs.

Unfortunately for Manchester United fans, Amorim has insisted time and again during his managerial spell that he will not move away from his trusted 3-4-2-1 system, but if results do not swiftly improve in the coming weeks, then it may not be long before Old Trafford witnesses flying wingers and a back four once again.