Gary Neville feels Ruben Amorim has given himself a blueprint to move forward from after a notable change in style this week – but Roy Keane remains unimpressed with “one of the worst teams in the league” without the ball.For the first time in his tenure, Amorim has visibly moved away from the rigid 3-4-2-1 formation he had previously stuck with both at Old Trafford and across his managerial career, displaying a level of flexibility which had previously become a bone of contention for Man Utd supporters.
After deploying a hybrid back four in Monday’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth, United put on another improved display despite losing 2-1 to in-form Aston Villa at Villa Park and deserved more than they got for the second game in succession.
Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, Neville said: “I thought it was a really good performance, but the details of the two goals have cost them.”Now that’s going to continue to happen whilst they don’t have the likes of Harry Maguire and Matthijs De Ligt, and they don’t have players that would make them a lot stronger.
“What I have seen in these last two games is a couple of things. One, the manager has changed. Quite obviously, the system that he said he would never change, the five or the three [at the back], the two in midfield, the two wing backs and the three up front, that has been thrown out of the window in the last two matches. That’s a good thing.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Aston Villa’s win against Manchester United in the Premier League
“I’m happy that the manager is adapting to what’s happening out there because of what’s happening with AFCON, but also I think there’s an element where he couldn’t carry on as we saw against West Ham and Everton at home.
“More of that would find the manager in a lot of trouble – more of what we’ve seen between Bournemouth and Villa is going to find the manager in a job, and will allow him to build something, because you can build off what you’ve seen here.”Manchester United can still finish in the top five and they’ve missed three or four opportunities in the last three weeks to do that, but if they can get those players back…
2025-12-21 21:30:00
