Rio Ferdinand has urged Ruben Amorim to make Man United's stars 'uncomfortable' and stick to his tactical approach despite their struggling form.
A miserable 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle on Monday evening left the Red Devils 14th in the Premier League and just seven points above 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
To make matters worse, questions are already being asked about Amorim's tactical approach, with the team now having suffered four consecutive defeats.
However, former United defender Ferdinand has insisted the former Sporting Lisbon boss must stick to his guns to get them out of their current rut.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents he said: 'You look at him and you say, 'He still seems quite confident [in the] long term. He's not going to change his short-term ideas.” And I completely agree.
“If he changes and goes back to what they did before… it's not like they were winning! So why would he go back to what the players are more comfortable with?
“I think his whole mindset — and I agree with him — is that if this team was trained and understood the system, I think they have a chance to execute what he wants.”
“I don't think we can expect Amorim to go back to type, to what they played before, to try to steady the ship. Because it wasn't a stable ship after all.
'I really believe he should keep doing what he's doing. He said there will be teething problems – maybe not as many as what we're getting now – but I don't think he understood what he was getting into.
“The scars that many players have as individuals – and as a team – are so big and so deep that it will take a long time to bounce back.”
Following the defeat to the Magpies, a number of United players came under scrutiny from experts, including centre-back Lisandro Martinez.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher suggested the Argentine was United's weak link and said he did not fit into a back-three system.
However, Ferdinand has now suggested that there are two other names who are a bigger priority for replacement within United's squad.
'I think in this team we are looking at two players who received a lot of criticism after yesterday; Casemiro and Eriksen.
'One of the most important elements of this system is that it needs legs and physicality. And Eriksen and Casemiro, those are probably two of the weakest parts of their games, so that doesn't help.
“But I would still say if they could train and he could implement his philosophies, these two players wouldn't be so out of place.
“So I don't think it's as simple as, 'Let's add two more mobile players and it will all be better.' I still think we'll have the same problems.'
As Ferdinand dissected the remaining problems at United, his thoughts turned to the period of Ralf Rangnick, who was interim manager for 29 games in 2021-2022.
The German coach emphasized at the time that United needed 'open-heart surgery' to rebuild the team.
The comments were made in April 2022 after United suffered a 4-0 defeat at Anfield in one of Rangnick's last games at the helm.
After that match he said: 'We need positive energy for the new team and the new manager.
'It's not the quality of the manager; it changes all the other things that put the club in the position we are in now.
'You don't even need glasses to see the problems. Now it's just a matter of how to solve them. No small cosmetic things. This is open heart surgery. If everyone realizes that this needs to be done and works together, it doesn't have to take years.'
Reflecting on these comments, Ferdinand said: “Ralf Rangnick said this requires open heart surgery, not a quick fix. He wasn't wrong!
'How true are those words now? He was vilified and ridiculed when he spoke these words. He was so right. And I think Amorim would sit there behind closed doors and think the same thing.”
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