Manchester United have recent back three history - Ruben Amorim should take note

Darren Fletcher could offer Ruben Amorim some unique Manchester United insight this week, for he has started in a United back three.

It did not go well. Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Ritchie de Laet were pitted against Fulham six days before Christmas in 2009. United were battered 3-0 and their supporters left the Putney Road End feeling about as festive as Ebenezer Scrooge.

The previous week, United had switched to a defensive trident for their Champions League dead-rubber against Wolfsburg and freakishly prevailed 3-1, with Michael Owen poaching a clinical hat-trick. At Craven Cottage, some of United's defending was craven.

One had little time for Erik ten Hag's complaints about United's depleted defence last season when they had it much worse 15 years ago. Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville, Rafael da Silva, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, Wes Brown and John O'Shea were all absent at Fulham.

Between the Wolfsburg and Fulham fixtures, United lost to Aston Villa and beat Wolves with Vidic back, only he suffered a calf injury against the latter, so Ferguson reverted to three centre halves. De Laet made his sixth appearance at Fulham, where Bobby Zamora gave him a going over.

"It's difficult to play midfielders at centre back and Ritchie de Laet is only 21 years of age," Ferguson said. "He's not got the experience yet needed for these type of matches." De Laet never played for United again.

There was a potential workaround to avoid a back three: start Fabio da Silva at left back and move Evra to centre back next to Carrick and play De Laet in his specialist role at right back. Da Silva's only league start all season was in the opening weekend win over Birmingham City. Evans' brother, Corry, a defensive midfielder, travelled to Fulham but was not on the bench.

Ferguson did not adopt a back three again until the rotation-heavy League Cup stroll at Leeds United in September 2011. Louis van Gaal was more stubborn and persistent.

Van Gaal, drunk from the surprising success of the Netherlands' third-place finish at the 2014 World Cup, attempted to transfer their back three system to the Premier League. The trio of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett suffered an opening day defeat at home to Swansea.

Blackett had never played for United before and was booed during an error-strewn loan spell at Birmingham the previous year. Van Gaal, insistent on a right-footed-left-footed balance, promoted him as Blackett was a leftie.

After three Premier League games and no wins, Van Gaal aborted the back three. It suddenly resurfaced in late November when United fortuitously beat a feckless Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates with Blackett, Smalling and Paddy McNair at centre back. It was the second victory of a six-game winning run where United were indebted as much to David de Gea as their matchwinners at the opposite end.

Despite the warning shots, Van Gaal remained loyal to the formation until Queens Park Rangers away in January, also known as the Phil Jones on corners game. United fans in the School End chanted, "Four four two" during a goalless first half. United eventually won 2-0. Van Gaal never started with three at the back again.

United's finest performance under Jose Mourinho was with a back three of Matteo Darmian, Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo against champions-elect Chelsea in April 2017. Chelsea functioned in a 3-4-3 under Antonio Conte and Mourinho's bespoke set-up, with Ander Herrera shadowing Eden Hazard, inflicted a fifth league loss on Chelsea.

Mourinho's interest in Ivan Perisic during the 2017 summer transfer window was partly down to his desire to switch seamlessly to a wing-back system. United scouts identified Victor Lindelof as a suitable signing to slot into a back three.

The United manager used a variation of the formation against Rostov in the Europa League round-of-16, a 3-4-1-2 for the 1-0 defeat of Tottenham in October 2017 and 1-0 loss at Chelsea the following week. It worked to greater effect in the vibrant 4-2 and 3-1 wins at Watford and Arsenal four days apart in December. There were also victories over CSKA Moscow in the Champions League and Swansea in the League Cup that were underpinned by a back three.

Mourinho's third season at United was effectively over before it had started after he was undermined by the hierarchy. Mourinho's bugbear was the failure to recruit a new centre half and he embarked on a cataclysmic trial and error in defence.

United lost with a back three to Tottenham, West Ham and in Mourinho's final match in charge at Liverpool. There were also chaotic 2-2 draws with Southampton and Arsenal. Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic cropped up in defence.

No modern United manager has turned to a back three more often than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. United started with three centre halves 18 times under the Norwegian, won eight, lost six and drew four.

Solskjaer tended to reserve the formation switch for the elite. United lined up with three in front of the 'keeper four times against City, three times against Chelsea, twice against Liverpool and at Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham and RB Leipzig. It made an incongruous appearance at Partizan Belgrade, Club Brugge and Tranmere Rovers.

PSG is rightly regarded as Solskjaer's zenith. No, not the miraculous 3-1 win. United's group stage victory 18 months later was their most tactically innovative and incisive display during his tenure.

Though Solskjaer's record was decent, the timing was often an admission of defeat. Three of his final four matches as manager were against Tottenham, Atalanta and City. United battened down the hatches after the 5-0 thumping by Liverpool.

Midway through the meek 2-0 home loss to City, United changed to 4-2-3-1. United had more attempts at their own goal as they did at City's in Solskjaer's penultimate game in the dugout.

Afterwards, Solskjaer admitted: "The result and performance against Tottenham (a week earlier) was good but it's not what we want to look like. We want to be on the front foot, we want to be aggressive but unfortunately we had to try and get a few results." Michael Carrick even used a back three for his second game as caretaker, a 1-1 draw at Chelsea.

Even the wooden Michael Owen, a pitchside pundit, nailed it. "All they're doing at the minute is covering for weaknesses and looking at the next week. 'Oh, good team, let's play loads of defenders. Oh bad team, let's play loads of attackers'. It's rubbish."

Fletcher will be able to remind Amorim of that.