Rio Ferdinand has urged manager Ruben Amorim to change his tactical set-up to fix Manchester United’s problems.
United slumped to 14th on the Premier League standings, following their 3-1 defeat at Brentford on Saturday – their third league loss of the season.
The result has increased the pressure on Amorim, who is now running out of time to change United’s fortunes.
The Portuguese has refused to change his 3-4-2-1 formation, which has not yielded results.
United have yet to record back-to-back league wins under him, and his 36.17 percent win percentage is the lowest in the club’s history since World War II.
Unsurprisingly, former Manchester City defender Micah Richards claims Amorim is ‘so stubborn’ and ‘it could be the undoing of him down the line’.
Ferdinand also aligned with Richards about Amorim’s doggedness and urged the Portuguese coach to change his formation to suit Man United players.
He told Rio Ferdinand Presents: “If they played 4-2-3-1, I think you’d have all the players in positions they are comfortable in.
“You’d have two of the three midfielders – probably Casemiro, (Manuel) Ugarte, and Kobbie Mainoo – playing in there.
“Then you’ve got three across the front: Amad (Diallo), (Matheus) Cunha, (Bryan) Mbeumo, even Mainoo or Bruno (Fernandes). All of them can play anywhere across the front line, with (Benjamin) Sesko up top.
“And you’ve got Bruno in the number 10 role, where he has produced astronomical numbers since joining the club. I don’t think it’s rocket science – everyone can see the same.”
Ferdinand’s suggestion echoes our earlier view that a 4-2-3-1 set-up could transform Man United.
However, Amorim is unlikely to change his style, given that United strengthened their squad in the summer, aiming to play with his preferred formation.
With patience wearing thin around the fan base, Amorim must turn things around quickly, starting with Saturday’s home clash against in-form Sunderland.
