Player Ruben Amorim was desperate for at Man Utd proves his tactics fail, 12-touch stat exposes him

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Manchester United’s dismal derby defeat against Manchester City raised questions over Ruben Amorim’s tactics again, and supporters are rapidly running out of patience.

Man United were blown away in a one-sided contest at the Etihad on Saturday, after Phil Foden headed home the opening goal in the first half before Erling Haaland scored twice after the break.

It was another miserable evening for Ruben Amorim and despite the club hierarchy sticking by him, at least for now, his days in the Old Trafford hot seat look numbered.

Time and time again, he has been warned to change his tactics, with Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards shocked by Amorim’s failure to adapt.

Now, the performance of one player the Man United boss was desperate to sign has proved once and for all that he must go back to the drawing board.

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Ruben Amorim exposed after Patrick Dorgu had the most touches in Man City’s penalty area

Amorim brought in wing-back Patrick Dorgu from Serie A side Lecce for a fee of £25million in February.

He was initially recruited to improve his preferred 3-4-2-1 shape, which relies heavily on the wing-backs providing width and end product, but instead, Dorgu appears to have made the situation worse.

The 20-year-old had more touches in the opposition box than any other player on the pitch on Sunday, taking 12. In fact, he became the first United player to reach double figures in that area this season.

However, he completed just one dribble and his attempted crosses were aimlessly lofted in, allowing City’s defenders to clear with ease. Not even the towering Benjamin Sesko had any hope of reaching them.

This simply cannot be Amorim’s plan. Tactics are meant to get the ball to a team’s most dangerous players and have them hurt their opponents. For United, their approach is having the complete opposite effect.

They are skipping midfield to move from back to front as quickly as possible, the same tactic that saw Erik ten Hag sacked, but as soon as the wing-backs are brought into play, the attacks are killed stone dead.

Width can make or break Amorim’s set-up, but at the moment, it just isn’t working. It’s time for him to switch up the shape and move to a back four. The change might well save his job.

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Ruben Amorim’s wing-backs won’t work in the Premier League

Former Man United defender Danny Simpson cast a damning assessment of Amorim’s tactics, insisting that nothing will change as long as Dorgu and the likes of Diogo Dalot remain at wing-back.

“The ball goes to [Patrick] Dorgu on the left. City let him have it [because they know] he’s not going to hurt you,” Simpson told Stadium Astro.

“He’ll try and run up and down all day, but we’ve got nothing down the flanks. When Amad [Diallo] plays as a wing-back, he’s going to get it, he’s going to do something.

“But when you’ve got Dorgu or [Noussair] Mazraoui or [Diogo] Dalot, I just don’t think that can work in the Premier League.”

United supporters appear to agree with Simpson and have been crying out for weeks for Amorim to finally swallow his pride and change his formation.

However, he vowed after the derby loss that he wouldn’t budge on his ideas. In being so stubborn, he has placed a target on his own back, guaranteeing that the patience from the stands won’t last much longer.