Time is right to alter Man Utd's system - Amorim insists.

Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that changing Manchester United's tactical system due to media noise would have meant "the finish" for him.

In a first against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his usual three-at-the-back setup with wide defenders and instead deploy an orthodox back four shielded by two holding midfielders.

By his own admission this ultimately became a six-man defensive block in the closing phase as his squad dug in for a victory - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.

Although he once memorably stated that not even the Pope could pressure him to tweak his system, Amorim asserts the capacity to utilize different setups has remained part of his strategy.

Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could only implement the change when his team were performing sufficiently well - lest it would appear as if he was succumbing to outside criticism.

"At the time I came here the previous campaign, I understood maybe I didn't possess the personnel to perform effectively in that system, but it was the commencement of a project," he commented.

"The goal was to forge an identity. Today is a distinct moment. We are missing a lot of players, and we need adjust, so they understand the reason we are making changes.

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

"Whenever media discuss altering the formation all the time, I can't make a change because the players will believe I'm changing because of external voices and I think that is the downfall for the manager.

"Only when we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that becomes the moment to evolve.

"We are going to become a stronger team because when our full complement of personnel are available, we are not planning to employ a back three all the time."

Squad Crisis Persist

With just two victories in eight games prior to beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is accurate to say his side have been playing well.

He is, nonetheless, working with a depleted roster, with seven first-team players already unavailable for the forthcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That number will rise if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.

Skipper Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will miss the Wolves match, despite the fact he is reportedly pushing his manager to let him to return following his hamstring injury.

"Bruno is already insisting he needs to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No chance. That's definitive."

Fernandes' Influence Endures

Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will probably continue to be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable players watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.

Amorim expects his leader to carry on providing guidance.

"The guy is a natural leader," he affirmed. "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 skipper.

"He has flaws sometimes - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of good things. After he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the rest of the squad practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.

"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a born leader. He is a leader."

Recovery Schedule for Key Personnel

Although the precise date for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is uncertain, by the end of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.