Time is right to change Manchester United's formation - the manager declares.

Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that altering Man Utd's tactical system due to media noise would have been "the finish" for him.

Initially against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his customary three-at-the-back setup with wing-backs and chose to deploy an traditional back four with two holding midfielders.

He himself conceded this ultimately functioned as a back six in the final stages as his team held on for a victory - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.

Despite he once famously stated that not even the Pope could compel him to change his system, Amorim asserts the ability to play with alternative formations has remained part of his plan.

Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could only alter the tactics when his team were performing sufficiently well - or else it would look as if he was giving in to external criticism.

"At the time I came here the previous campaign, I recognized maybe I don't have the squad to perform effectively in a back three, but it was the start of a journey," he stated.

"The goal was to build an philosophy. Today is a different moment. We lack a full complement of players, and we have to be flexible, so they understand the reason we are switching things up.

"This isn't because of the pressure of you guys, or the fans.

"When media discuss altering the system repeatedly, I can't change because the players will believe I'm altering things because of external voices and I feel that is the downfall for the coach.

"Once we are getting results in our system, that becomes the opportunity to change.

"We will grow into a better team because when all the personnel are back, we are not going to use three defenders all the time."

Availability Challenges Persist

With just two wins in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is correct to claim his team have been playing well.

He is, though, operating with a injury-ravaged roster, with multiple first-team stars already unavailable for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That number will rise if midfielder Mason Mount fails to shake off the knock that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.

Skipper Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be pushing his manager to let him to make a comeback after his hamstring problem.

"Fernandes is already telling me he needs to train," said Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can write that."

The Captain's Role Endures

However, the 31-year-old will almost certainly continue to be a prominent presence, as whereas most injured stars watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was seen keeping a close eye on the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.

Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on providing input.

"The guy is a leader," he declared. "He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.

"There are bad things at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of positive qualities. After he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.

"I'm not sure if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."

Return Schedule for Injured Players

While the specific date for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, before the conclusion of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.