Manchester United are once more on unsteady ground as speculation is growing around the future of Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
This weekend saw United lose their first Manchester Derby of the season as Manchester City won 3-0, capitalising on United’s mistakes.
This second loss of the season, after their opening 1-0 loss to Arsenal, has left The Red Devils with only four points from four games, sitting them in 15th place in the Premier League, their worst start in the tournament on record.
As such, concerns are mounting over the suitability of the manager, with the squad yet to adapt to his 3-4-3, which he is stubbornly sticking to, with the real problem, in his opinion, being the mindset of the players.
It’s been reported that whilst some of the senior squad are losing faith in Amorim, the Manchester United hierarchy are still firmly backing the Portuguese manager, acknowledging that stats have shown an improvement from last season; however, they are going to assess the situation during the October international break.
Whilst Ruben Amorim is adamant that he will not be changing his formation or system, it’s interesting that the system hasn’t been adopted by any of the United academy squads.
Both the Under-18s and Under-21s have routinely played this season in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, reminiscent of the Erik ten Hag set-up and that of the managers who came before him.
Now, Nathan Salt has reported on the Under-21s set-up as they faced Brackley Town in the National League Cup this evening, highlighting their commitment to a back four, playing in a 4-3-3 formation.
With INEOS understood to be wanting to build a consistent pathway through the youth systems into the senior squad, the academy’s reluctance to change to a 3-4-3 set-up to mirror Amorim’s philosophy is somewhat telling.
4-3-3
Devaney back into midfield
Scanlon playing off the left
Biancheri off the right https://t.co/45N403K6A0— Nathan Salt (@NathSalt1) September 16, 2025
