Paul Merson says Thomas Frank is doing exactly what Ruben Amorim should be doing at Man United

Add as preferred source on Google

Paul Merson has told Ruben Amorim he must follow in Thomas Frank’s footsteps to be a success at Manchester United.

Amorim is under immense pressure at Old Trafford as the start of the season has not delivered on the initial promise despite the club spending approximately £217 million this summer.

The 2-0 win against Sunderland heading into the international break ended a run of three straight Premier League defeats for the Red Devils as they managed to climb into the top half of the table.

However, there is one persistent issue surrounding the boss, and Merson believes following the example of Spurs manager Thomas Frank could be the ideal solution.

Paul Merson urges Ruben Amorim to change his tactical approach

Speaking live on Sky Sports News, Merson said Amorim will not change his fortunes at Old Trafford so long as he persists with his three-at-the-back formation.

“You know, the manager’s got to be got to be flexible. You know, he’s playing 3-5-2. It isn’t working.”

“Good managers change. They change. You look at Thomas Frank at Tottenham changing it, you know, week in, week out. You know, they’re where they are because of him. Because he keeps on changing the way they play. He changes it during the game. I think he’s got to pull it in. He’s probably shocked Amorim, thinking he’s got three more years of this.”

Frank was on United’s radar in 2024 prior to Erik Ten Hag’s dismissal, and the Dane has performed a phenomenal job since leaving Brentford for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this year.

The Spurs side he inherited also endured a disastrous 2024/25 Premier League campaign, finishing two places behind United in 17th, but they, of course, thwarted the Red Devils in the Europa League final.

TBR Football understands Man United are backing Amorim despite the club drafting a four-man shortlist of potential replacements should the side’s form not improve.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe reiterated his stance to stand behind the under-fire boss in a recent interview, but the pressure and speculation have failed to subside.

United have been consistently warned that the club will continue to struggle unless drastic changes are made to their style of play, but as things stand, there appears to be no immediate rush to make any alterations.

Ruben Amorim sees no problem with his formation at Manchester United

Amorim is sticking to his guns regarding his formation despite facing questions on a weekly basis on whether he should change his system.

When speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the 2-1 loss against Chelsea, the United boss said that no one can convince him of playing a different style of football at Old Trafford.

“No one. Not even the Pope will change… This is my job. This is my responsibility. This is my life. So, I will not change that.

“If I’m a player and I have a coach that, with a lot of pressure and (people) all around the world, are saying ‘you need to change the system’, says ‘I’m going to change’, they will look at me in a different way.

“Everything is important when you think about the impact that a decision is going to have on the team. I’m doing things my way. I hope to have the time to change, but it will be an evolution.”