Michael Owen has insisted that Manchester United’s poor form is not solely down to Ruben Amorim’s tactics.
Amorim has been criticised for a failure to adapt his approach, with the Portuguese head coach steadfast in his 3-4-2-1 system at Manchester United.
The Red Devils have struggled badly for results since his appointment last November, winning just 29.41% of their Premier League games under his management.
Despite widespread calls for Amorim to adapt, Owen has refused to place the blame solely on the system. He insisted Manchester United were struggling long before Amorim’s appointment and says there have been several ‘great teams’ who have succeeded with a back three.
Discussing Amorim’s struggles to Chris Wheeler, the former Manchester United striker said: “The latest one is it’s because they’re playing a back-three. If I’m not wrong, I watched Erik Ten Hag about a year ago playing a back-four, and it was some of the most awful football I’ve ever seen from a Manchester United team.
“Some great teams over the years have played with a back-three. I’m not saying that’s my favourite formation at all, and I’m not saying that Amorim is right to be steadfast in his beliefs in that formation.
“But I certainly don’t think all of United’s problems now are because they play with the back-three.”
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