Former England international Micah Richards has urged manager Ruben Amorim to ditch his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation ahead of the start of the new season.
Manchester United rounded off pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Serie A side Fiorentina before they triumphed 5-4 on penalties at Old Trafford last Saturday.
They begin their 2025/26 Premier League campaign against Arsenal next Sunday.
The Manchester outfit have strengthened their squad with the signings of forwards Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, whose arrival was announced before the start of the game against Fiorentina.
The trio’s arrival has sparked optimism that the upcoming season will be much better than the previous one.
However, Richards has suggested that Amorim needs to switch to a 4-3-3 formation to get the best out of his players.
He told The Rest Is Football Podcast: “I think if they were playing with 4-3-3, they could be challenging for the Europa League, but he ( Amorim) will not change.
“When you watch the clips, and (Bruno) Fernandes is a little bit further back. They need Fernandes, who is the one who wants to get on the ball to get ticking, but they miss him a bit further forward, creating opportunities.
“And you have (Bryan) Mbeumo, whose best work is out wide, but he is playing in the no 10 position. Cunha works; he can go from the left and from the No. 10 position.
“But I just think the balance of the team is not right for the players they have. I think 4-3-3 would suit them so well.”
Richards is not the only one to question Amorim’s tactical set-up; pundit Don Hutchinson and several others have also done the same since the arrival of the Portuguese coach at United.
Despite the criticism, Amorim is unlikely to change, given that United have signed players to suit his favourite formation, particularly Cunha, Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu, who arrived from Lecce in January.
He used the same set-up to record success at Sporting CP and is likely to stick with it until the end of his reign at Man United.