The moment is right to change Manchester United's tactical setup - the manager insists.

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

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

By his own admission this ultimately became a six-man defensive block in the closing phase as his side held on for a crucial result - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.

While he once memorably stated that even the Pope could compel him to adjust his system, Amorim asserts the capacity to utilize different formations has consistently been part of his long-term vision.

However, he emphasizes he could solely make the switch when his team were performing sufficiently well - or else it would appear as if he was succumbing to outside noise.

"At the time I arrived here last season, I realized perhaps I didn't possess the personnel to perform effectively in that formation, but it was the beginning of a journey," he said.

"The goal was to build an philosophy. Today is a distinct moment. We don't have a lot of personnel, and we must adjust, so they see the reason we are switching things up.

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

"When the press talk about changing the formation repeatedly, I cannot make a change because the squad will believe I'm altering things because of you and I feel that is the end for the manager.

"Only when we are playing well in our preferred setup, that becomes the opportunity to evolve.

"This will help us become a more complete side because when all the personnel return, we are not intending to employ a back three all the time."

Squad Issues Continue

With only two wins in eight games prior to beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is right to say his side have been playing well.

He is, though, managing with a severely stretched roster, with multiple senior players already ruled out for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolves.

That total will increase if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the knock that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.

Captain Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will be absent for the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly pressing his manager to let him to make a comeback following his muscle problem.

"Fernandes is already telling me he needs to train," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can write that."

The Captain's Role Endures

However, the 31-year-old will probably still be a prominent presence, as whereas most injured stars view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.

Amorim is sure his captain to carry on providing input.

"The guy is a leader," he affirmed. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's silent and offering advice. He's always communicating. That's why he's the captain.

"He has negative aspects at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he recovers, he goes to observe the rest of the squad training. There are a lot of things you don't see.

"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a born leader. He is a true captain."

Recovery Schedule for Injured Personnel

While the specific timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.