Now is ripe to alter Manchester United's formation - Amorim insists.

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

Initially against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his trademark back three formation with wide defenders and opted to field an orthodox back four with two central midfielders.

Amorim acknowledged this effectively became a six-man defensive block in the closing minutes as his side dug in for a win - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.

While he once famously remarked that not even the highest authority could force him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the capacity to experiment with different formations has remained part of his long-term vision.

Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could only implement the change when his team were faring at an acceptable level - or else it would seem as if he was bowing to outside criticism.

"When I arrived here last season, I recognized maybe I lacked the squad to perform effectively in a back three, but it was the commencement of a process," he stated.

"Our aim was to establish an style. Currently is a separate time. We lack a full complement of personnel, and we have to be flexible, so they see the reason we are changing.

"It is not because of the demands of you guys, or the supporters.

"When the press discuss changing the system all the time, I cannot change because the players will understand I'm changing because of you and I think that is the downfall for the manager.

"Once we are getting results in our system, that is the moment to adapt.

"This will help us become a stronger squad because when our full complement of personnel return, we are not going to employ three defenders in every match."

Squad Issues Persist

With just two wins in their last eight outings before defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his team have been playing well.

He is, nonetheless, working with a injury-ravaged squad, with multiple first-team players already ruled out for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolves.

That total will grow if midfielder Mason Mount fails to shake off the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.

Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will be absent for the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is reportedly urging his manager to let him to return following his hamstring problem.

"Fernandes is already insisting he has to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."

Fernandes' Influence Remains

Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will probably still be heavily involved, as while most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was seen keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.

Amorim anticipates his leader to carry on providing guidance.

"He is a leader," he declared. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's always speaking. That is the reason he's the captain.

"There are flaws sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. Even after he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the other guys practicing. There are a lot of aspects you don't see.

"I don't know if he desires my job or not, but he's a leader. He is a true captain."

Return Schedule for Key Personnel

Although the precise timeline for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unclear, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.