Ruben Amorim Fires Back at Critics Over Man Utd's Bold Formation Choice

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has acknowledged his openness to modifying his tactical approach, responding to suggestions that he remains inflexibly committed to the 3-4-2-1 formation that has been regularly deployed during his initial period at Old Trafford.

Amorim achieved considerable success with this system at his previous club Sporting CP, where attacking players enjoyed greater positional freedom, but it represents a significant shift from the 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 formations—and their variations—that United have employed over the past three decades.

An apparent unwillingness to stray far from established patterns has been a frequent point of criticism directed at Amorim and resurfaced following Monday evening's Premier League loss to Everton—their first home defeat to the Merseyside club in over a decade.

However, Amorim maintains he isn't as tactically inflexible as portrayed.

When questioned by DAZN Portugal about potential plans to reintroduce the more dynamic forward rotation witnessed in Sporting's interpretation of the 3-4-2-1, he revealed it has already been implemented.

"We implemented it against Liverpool, not with Bryan Mbeumo, but with [Matheus] Cunha," he explained. "It's an available option, and currently, everyone, not just in English football but across Portuguese and all other leagues, employs significant structural variation.

"We might label it a 4-4-2, but moments later it transforms into a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3. Consequently, I'm prepared to try anything, despite widespread belief that I'm overly focused on one approach.

"I simply begin with a fundamental structure, but naturally, we can adapt it going forward. We've already considered this with Bryan [in a central role] given his effectiveness in transitional play.

"I believe [wide positions are] optimal for him since he prefers operating without scrutiny. He can attack more effectively and pose greater threats from either flank, left or right, compared to playing as a striker, though it remains a viable alternative that I may utilize in future matches as I frequently did at Sporting."

This final observation refers to how leading goalscorer Viktor Gyökeres wasn't restricted to a static role in Lisbon, which made Sporting difficult to predict and contributed significantly to the Swedish striker's prolific scoring record.