As Manchester United close in on the appointment of Ruben Amorim, Old Trafford icon Gary Neville could be about to see his wish become reality.
Now, this is not to say the former right-back has been pushing for the 39-year-old’s arrival during a period of relentless uncertainty in the Manchester United hotseat.
Gary Neville always wanted to see Mauricio Pochettino take over at Man United prior to his arrival at Chelsea in the summer of 2023. But, in recent times, the eight-time Premier League winner has not been drawn on exactly who his preferred appointment would be.
One thing Neville did open up on, however, was how a change of formation could help to alter the Red Devils’ fortunes.
And it just so happens that Ruben Amorim – Sporting Lisbon confirmed Man United’s intention to trigger the Portuguese’s release clause on Tuesday – is likely to bring about the sort of tactical shift Neville believes could suit the current Red Devils roster down to the ground.
Ruben Amorim’s arrival at Manchester United should please Gary Neville
“I’ve got the answer,” Neville said earlier in October. “I can’t understand why he [Erik ten Hag] has not gone to three at the back.
“There’s six [centre-backs] there. There’s [Leny] Yoro, [Victor] Lindelof, [Harry] Maguire, [Lisandro] Martinez, [Mattijs] De Ligt and Jonny Evans.
“My view is that, if you look at Martinez, he’s perfect for a left centre-back in a three. Harry has played in a three many, many times in his career. De Ligt is someone who I think needs other people around him.
“I said at the start of the season, if ever there was a team that looked like [would suit a back three, it is Man United].”
This is without mentioning Amorim’s former Sporting Lisbon stalwart. A certain Manuel Ugarte impressed at the heart of a back-three for Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay during the October international break.
Furthermore, Neville believes that Man United’s full-back options are also well-suited to a three-at-the-back system. One that could make greater use of Diogo Dalot’s in-possession qualities while helping to cover up his defensive deficiencies, for instance.
“Dalot, [Noussair] Mazraoui, [Luke] Shaw, [Tyrell] Malacia, they all look like wing-backs,” adds Neville, who knows a thing or two about life as a Manchester United full-back.
Ruben Amorim brings a new approach to Old Trafford
Now, the system with which Amorim has enjoyed so much success at Sporting Lisbon, it just so happens, rests upon the foundations of his rock-solid back-three.
Sporting have used a 3-4-2-1 set-up in every single one of their games so far in 2024/25, as Amorim leads the Portuguese champions to nine wins out of nine in the Primeira Liga.
According to Football Critic, Sporting have not lined up with a back four in any of Amorim’s matches since he took charge after a brief but outstanding spell at SC Braga back in 2020.
A defensive arrangement of De Ligt, Martinez and Yoro, on paper, looks like one of the strongest in the Premier League. With Ugarte in front of them, Man United should, in theory, be no longer so vulnerable to quick transitions.
Amorim’s Sporting, a team with only a fraction of the funds available to Benfica and FC Porto, have conceded only twice in league action this term while scoring 30 at the other end.
Dalot and Mazraoui are likely to hold the width at wing-back. Amorim’s narrow but mobile front-three should get the best out of Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, meanwhile, alongside Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho in particular.
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