Now is ripe to change Manchester United's system - Amorim insists.

Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that changing Man Utd's formation due to media pressure would have meant "his demise" for him.

For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim ditched his usual three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs and opted to use an standard four-man defense with two central midfielders.

He himself conceded this effectively transformed into a six-man defensive block in the latter stages as his side clung on for a victory - securing only their second shutout of the campaign.

Although he once famously stated that even the highest authority could pressure him to adjust his approach, Amorim insists the ability to play with alternative setups has consistently been part of his strategy.

However, he stresses he could only implement the change when his team were faring at an acceptable level - otherwise it would seem as if he was succumbing to external pressure.

"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I didn't possess the players to excel in that formation, but it was the start of a journey," he commented.

"The goal was to forge an style. Today is a distinct time. We don't have a full complement of players, and we need adjust, so they understand the reason we are switching things up.

"It is not because of the influence of you guys, or the fans.

"Whenever the press criticize altering the formation constantly, I cannot change because the squad will think 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 right time to change.

"This will help us become a better squad because when all the personnel are available, we are not going to use a back three all the time."

Injury Issues Continue

Having only two wins in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to state his team have been playing well.

He is, however, managing with a severely stretched roster, with seven first-team stars already ruled out for the forthcoming fixture against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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

Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly pushing his boss to let him to make a comeback after his muscle problem.

"Fernandes is already telling me he has to train," said Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to play against Wolves. Definitely not. You can write that."

Fernandes' Leadership Is Unwavering

However, the Portuguese star will probably continue to be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.

Amorim expects his leader to continue offering insight.

"He is a natural leader," he declared. "He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he's silent and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That's why he's the captain.

"There are flaws at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.

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

Return Timeline for Injured Players

While the exact date for Fernandes' return - and that of other injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.