Ruben Amorim has shown his tactical flexibility at Manchester United in recent weeks but Wayne Rooney is still not convinced.
In his first year as Manchester United head coach, Ruben Amorim stubbornly stuck to his 3-4-2-1 system and suffered poor results to try and make it work.
In September, Amorim famously said “not even the Pope” would get him to change his system. But there have been noticeable changes in recent weeks.
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Amorim has experimented with a 4-3-3 shape in recent matches against Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
Ayden Heaven complimented Amorim’s tactics, and his flexible strategy has resulted in improved performances and results.
Wayne Rooney has major concern about Amorim tactics
When explaining his change of formation, Amorim said: “I felt that was the only way to create more danger, to have more opportunities by playing a back four with a lot of guys inside.”
It certainly has yielded results, but United legend Wayne Rooney is concerned that it won’t last.
Speaking on Match of the Day, Rooney said: “I was worried when I saw the performance to be honest.
“The manager changed the formation and he went to a back four, which a lot of people have been asking for.
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“But they didn’t look comfortable and Newcastle were putting them under pressure. When I look at the squad and the bench, they really need players in to help them.
“It’s great to see the young players on the bench and given that opportunity, but it needs to be at the right time as well. And it’s not. It’s not sustainable at all. They need players in.”
Ruben Amorim agrees with Wayne Rooney about Man United youth players
Amorim has been heavily criticised for not trusting in United’s academy players this season, including Kobbie Mainoo, but recent debuts for Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey have eased those concerns.
However, Amorim actually deserves praise for the way he has handled United’s youngsters.
As Rooney points out, the timing of introducing young players is essential, and Amorim has spoken about the difficulty of bringing in academy players to a struggling side.
Speaking about Chido Obi last month, Amorim said: “He played last year, I think it was too soon. We didn’t have a team that we could put a young kid at 16 and he would not struggle, or he will struggle a little bit.
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“It was necessary to do that. The perfect conditions are to have the opportunity, and we seek that opportunity for the kid.”
Amorim not trusting in academy players is a myth, he simply agrees with Rooney that young stars should not be thrown into an already struggling side.
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