Ruben Amorim has been warned he's setting Manchester United up to fail by constantly chopping and changing his backline.
The Portuguese head coach has come under fire in the early stages of this season as he tries to revive United's fortunes following a disappointing 15th-place finish in their last Premier League campaign. Club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed the former Sporting boss will be given three years to prove himself at Old Trafford, despite United registering just three wins from seven matches so far this term.
However, former United goalkeeper Ben Foster has questioned Amorim's tactical approach, particularly his insistence on frequently substituting centre-backs during matches. The ex-England and Wrexham shot-stopper believes taking defenders off has been detrimental to the club, stressing that United have not been dominant enough during games to take that risk.
Speaking during an appearance on talkSPORT, Foster said: "You need a solid base as a football team to really get consistency. When you're constantly chopping and changing, not only the centre-backs, but the goalkeepers as well, it just sets you up for failure.
"You can't change your centre back at 60 minutes. You need them to play the whole 90 minutes. It's fine if you're two or three nil up at that point, you can bring somebody on. But Man United don't have that luxury. Up until the 90th minute in games, they're fighting or trying to hold on to a lead or or get back into the game."
Foster is not the only former United player who has taken issue with Amorim's habit of making unenforced changes at the back. Club legend Gary Neville also pulled him up on it last month after he brought Mason Mount on at left wing-back against Brentford.
"You can't put Mason Mount at left wing-back," he said. "I can't watch Mason Mount play at left wing-back in a football team. I struggle to watch him in his position. To actually put him out there is absolutely ridiculous."
Amorim was appointed to replace Erik ten Hag in November last year, but has had a torrid time in charge so far. He has secured victory in less than a third of his Premier League matches and oversaw United's worst-ever campaign last season.
United spent more than £200million on new players during the summer transfer window, mostly in attack. However, their form has been inconsistent so far and they sit in mid-table, with Amorim still firmly under scrutiny.
He has been constantly criticised for his tactical inflexibility, leading many to question if he is the right man for the job. Despite this, Amorim still has the backing of United board members after Ratcliffe spoke out on The Times' Business podcast to call for patience.
The Ineos chief said: "Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That's where I would be. The press, sometimes I don't understand. They want overnight success.
"They think it's a light switch. You know, you flick a switch and it's all going to be roses tomorrow. You can't run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions to some journalist who goes off on one every week."
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