Man Utd boss Amorim says 'we need to improve a lot' but 3-4-3 system 'is not problem'

Ruben Amorim claims his 3-4-3 system "is not the problem" at Manchester United.

The Portuguese coach has endured a difficult start to life at Old Trafford since arriving from Sporting in November.

His possession-based style of play and preference for a 3-4-3 system has failed to get the best out of a squad that has now lost nine of his 21 games in charge across all competitions.

United have lost their last three games and after Sunday's FA Cup exit to Fulham are out of both domestic cup competitions. They travel to Real Sociedad on Thursday night for the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie knowing it represents their only chance of silverware this season.

If United stay in 14th, it will be their worst league finish since they were relegated in 1974 and Amorim's insistence on continuing with the 3-4-3 formation has drawn criticism. The 40-year-old accepts results have been poor but believes there are deeper issues than the system he wants his team to play.

"I am still really confident because I have an idea how to play football. I will not change that, no matter what. And I’m not talking about the system, it’s the way I see football, I will not change that," he said at his pre-match press conference in Spain on Wednesday evening ahead of the Real Sociedad game.

"It’s quite simple. We talk about the system, the system is not the problem, is the way of playing. You build up with three, two defenders and one midfielder going down. It is quite simple, I don’t see football like that.

"We need to improve a lot of things, we need to be better in some moments, to understand some moments of the game that sometimes we don’t understand because we are not so aggressive in some moments or we don’t kill the game in some moments and after that we concede a goal and everything changes."

Amorim has previously suggested he may not be in situ for whenever United become a successful side again. That might depend on how long the club’s powerbrokers remain patient given the lack of progress since his arrival four months ago.

United have won only ten games under Amorim and his determination to stick with the principles he believes in risks becoming a millstone unless results improve soon. They haven’t won in the Premier League since beating Ipswich Town 3-2 at Old Trafford on February 26 and face Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday in the knowledge defeat would represent a new low in an already dismal campaign.