The moment is ripe to switch Man Utd's formation - Ruben Amorim insists.

Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that altering Man Utd's formation due to external scrutiny would have signaled "the finish" for him.

In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim ditched his customary three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and instead deploy an standard back four with two holding midfielders.

Amorim acknowledged this ultimately functioned as a back six in the final stages as his squad clung on for a win - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the season.

Despite he once famously remarked that even the Pope could force him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the option to play with alternative formations has remained part of his strategy.

However, he emphasizes he could only alter the tactics when his team were performing sufficiently well - otherwise it would seem as if he was succumbing to outside criticism.

"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I recognized perhaps I lacked the squad to excel in that formation, but it was the start of a project," he commented.

"The goal was to establish an style. Now is a different moment. We don't have a lot of players, and we must adapt, so they see the reason we are changing.

"This isn't because of the influence of journalists, or the faithful.

"When the press talk about changing the formation constantly, I can't make a change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of you and I believe that is the end for the coach.

"Once we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, then is the opportunity to evolve.

"This will help us grow into a better side because when all the players are available, we are not planning to use a back three in every match."

Squad Crisis Continue

With only two victories in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his team have been in good form.

He is, however, managing with a severely stretched squad, with seven senior players already unavailable for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolves.

That figure will rise if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to shake off the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.

Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will miss the Wolves match, despite the fact he is understood to be pressing his boss to let him to return following his hamstring problem.

"Bruno is already telling me he needs to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to play against Wolves. Definitely not. You can write that."

The Captain's Leadership Endures

Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will likely still be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.

Amorim expects his leader to carry on providing input.

"He is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be that guy that when he is absent, he's silent and offering advice. He's constantly communicating. That's why he's the captain.

"He has negative aspects at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. Even after he recovers, he goes to watch the other guys practicing. There are a lot of aspects you don't see.

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

Return Timeline for Injured Personnel

Although the exact date for the captain's return - and that of fellow injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, before the conclusion of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.