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

Manager Ruben Amorim argues that altering Manchester United's formation due to media pressure would have been "the finish" for him.

For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his trademark back three setup with wing-backs and opted to deploy an traditional four-man defense shielded by two defensive midfielders.

By his own admission this ultimately functioned as a six-man defensive block in the final minutes as his side clung on for a crucial result - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.

Although he once notably stated that not even the highest authority could pressure him to adjust his approach, Amorim maintains the ability to experiment with alternative formations has remained part of his strategy.

Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could solely make the switch when his team were doing sufficiently well - lest it would appear as if he was succumbing to outside noise.

"At the time I came here the previous campaign, I realized maybe I don't have the players to play well in that system, but it was the commencement of a project," he said.

"We were trying to forge an style. Now is a different time. We don't have a lot of players, and we need adapt, so they see why we are making changes.

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

"Whenever the press discuss changing the system constantly, I can't make a change because the players will think I'm altering things because of external voices and I think that is a disaster for the manager.

"When we are getting results in our preferred setup, that is the moment to adapt.

"We are going to become a more complete side because when our full complement of personnel are available, we are not going to use three defenders all the time."

Squad Challenges Continue

With only two victories in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is correct to claim his side have been in good form.

He is, however, operating with a depleted roster, with seven first-team players already ruled out for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolves.

That figure will rise if midfielder Mason Mount is unable 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, even though he is understood to be urging his manager to let him to return following his hamstring injury.

"Bruno is already insisting he needs to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No chance. You can write that."

Fernandes' Influence Endures

Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will almost certainly continue to be deeply engaged, as while most injured stars view matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.

Amorim expects his captain to continue offering input.

"The guy is a leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's always communicating. That's why he's the skipper.

"There are negative aspects at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. Even after he recovers, he heads to observe the rest of the squad training. 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. The guy is a leader."

Return Schedule for Key Players

Although the precise timeline for the captain's return - and that of other injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.