Time is ripe to alter Man Utd's formation - Ruben Amorim declares.

Manager Ruben Amorim argues that changing Manchester United's tactical system due to media pressure would have meant "his demise" for him.

Initially against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his trademark three-at-the-back setup with wing-backs and instead deploy an traditional back four with two central midfielders.

He himself conceded this at times became a back six in the closing phase as his team held on for a crucial result - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.

Despite he once notably remarked that not even the Pope could force him to change his system, Amorim asserts the option to experiment with different setups has always been part of his strategy.

Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could only alter the tactics when his team were doing at an acceptable level - otherwise it would seem as if he was bowing to external criticism.

"When I arrived here last season, I realized maybe I didn't possess the personnel to play well in that system, but it was the start of a journey," he commented.

"The goal was to establish an style. Currently is a different time. We don't have a lot of players, and we must adjust, so they see the reason we are switching things up.

"It is not because of the pressure of the media, or the fans.

"Whenever you talk about altering the system all the time, I cannot make a change because the players will believe I'm altering things because of external voices and I feel that is the end for the manager.

"Only when we are playing well in our preferred setup, that becomes the moment to adapt.

"We will develop into a better side because when our full complement of players are available, we are not intending to employ a back three exclusively."

Availability Challenges Persist

With just two victories in eight games prior to beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is correct to say his team have been in good form.

He is, nonetheless, managing with a severely stretched squad, with multiple first-team stars already unavailable for the forthcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That number will increase if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to shake off the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.

Skipper Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is understood to be pushing his boss to let him to make a comeback following his hamstring injury.

"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to train," said Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to play against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."

Fernandes' Role Remains

However, the Portuguese star will almost certainly still be a prominent presence, as whereas most unavailable players watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.

Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on offering input.

"He is a natural leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's always speaking. That's why he's the captain.

"He has bad things sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of positive qualities. After he finishes treatment, he heads to watch the other guys training. There are a many aspects that go unnoticed.

"I'm not sure if he wants my position or not, but he's a born leader. He is a leader."

Recovery Schedule for Key Personnel

While the specific timeline for Fernandes' comeback - and that of other injured stars 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.