Owen Hargreaves reveals keys to fixing Manchester United’s issues under Ruben Amorim – ‘to say they struggle an understatement’

Amorim is yet to record back-to-back wins since taking over last November, while in his 33 Premier League games, United have won nine, kept five clean sheets and acquired just 34 points.

Hargreaves has addressed a number of Amorim’s struggles at Old Trafford, including his assessment of the 3-4-3 formation the Portuguese coach has become known for.

“Ultimately, the manager is in charge,” Hargreaves told TNT Sports. “He picks how he wants them to play, and he wants to play that way. People act like it is a new formation.

“I won the Champions League playing like that in 2001 with Bayern. A lot of it is personnel-dependent, so he’s got a lot of his personnel, but Bruno Fernandes is probably not playing his natural position. He’s playing deeper, and to say they struggle would be an understatement.

“I think everybody expected them to be a lot better this year with (Matheus) Cunha and (Bryan) Mbeumo, and they have been better, but the problem is you’ve still got issues at the top of the pitch with the striker. You’ve still got the goalkeeping situation, which is not clear.

“And they’re too easy to play against. You thought by bringing in Mbeumo and Cunha they’ll score goals. There were 40 between them in the Premier League last year.

“Defensively, I don’t think they have (improved). You look at Liverpool and Arsenal, you know who is going to play at the back.

“I think Ruben has rotated that back three so much that there isn’t a settled partnership, and I think the quicker they can settle on a keeper and that back three and whoever plays in midfield (the better) because I think at the top of the pitch, with Bruno and Cunha and Mbeumo, they’ve got some good firepower.”

Fernandes has at times cut a frustrated figure this season, and has missed two of three penalties.

The Portuguese was denied from 12 yards at a critical time during Saturday’s 3-1 defeat against Brentford, meaning he has now missed six penalties since his arrival at Old Trafford.

In Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, the United captain is having to play in a deeper role than where he has previously operated for club and country – and Hargreaves has sympathy for the player, believing his strengths are not being utilised at present.

“He’s not playing his natural position, he’s playing deeper. He’s playing as a box-to-box midfielder. Bruno’s one of the best creators in the division. So you’ve got to play him in his natural position.

“But because they play two 10s, you could argue Man Utd’s two best players last season were Amad (Diallo) and Bruno. They were the two 10s, and then they went and signed two more 10s in Cunha and Mbeumo when you didn’t have a keeper or a striker.

“So they probably could have done that. But they decided to get goals and sign proven Premier League players in Cunha and Mbeumo, which I like. But now Bruno has to play deeper to get on the ball and create.

“So maybe he’s not in the right defensive position because it’s not his game, so that’s on the manager to pick that. But I’d love to see Bruno play as a 10, maybe with Mbeumo as a No. 9. If you have Cunha and Bruno playing as two 10s plus Mbeumo, that’s good.

“Maybe play Amad as a wing-back on the left if you want to stay with the formation. I just think it’s harsh on Bruno, him being criticised. I can’t imagine where they’d be without him. I said that to him last year, towards the end of the season before the Europa League final.

“What he’s been able to produce in terms of consistency for them, that’s what you need from everybody.”

Hargreaves knows all about the United of old, a time when winning trophies was a non-negotiable, and that culture was instilled in all those who walked through the doors at Carrington.

It is a very different club now from the one Hargreaves departed, and he believes that shifting the expectations whilst maintaining high standards remains a real challenge.

“I think Ruben has tried to create that culture change with a lot of the players that have left,” said Hargreaves.

“He was pretty clear on what he demanded from the players. I don’t think you can say that they aren’t trying, but the problem is that they’re so far behind the top teams, and they spent a lot of money. Again, the goalkeeper and the striker situation he hasn’t addressed. We were very fortunate in our time.”

Reflecting on Cole’s own experience at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, Hargreaves added: “He was in his Chelsea team where you had Petr Cech, Frank Lampard, (Michael) Essien and (Claude) Makelele. You had (Didier) Drogba, you had leaders who captained their country that were good when it was difficult. We had the same at Man Utd, we just had 10 captains of their countries.

“So it was easy for us to come into the team because we had mentors there. I think the United team right now, if you’re under pressure and the team is not performing well, which it isn’t, it’s only Bruno and Harry Maguire that you can go, ‘who is a reference point?’ And Harry doesn’t play all the time.

“So I think that’s been a huge void since all that generation left, and I think they’ve bought and sold a lot of players, but they haven’t really bought people that you can hang your hat on when it gets tough, like (Virgil) Van Dijk or Alisson.

“So I think the quicker they can address that, the more they can help some of these young guys.”