Manchester United could have six players fighting for two positions under Ruben Amorim

Manchester United's pursuit of Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim is gathering pace.

Sporting have confirmed United intend to trigger the €10million (£8.3m) release clause in the 39-year-old's contract and it is understood the club wants to lure him to Old Trafford as quickly as possible.

Amorim, who has overseen a terrific job in the Portuguese capital since taking charge in 2020, is one of the most coveted coaches in European football, drawing praise from some of the game's greatest, such as Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.

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Every managerial appointment, just like every player transfer, carries a degree or risk. No managerial appointment guarantees success.

However, Amorim was on Liverpool's radar to replace Jurgen Klopp earlier this year and had already been highlighted as a potential successor for Guardiola at Manchester City. As much as it may pain United fans to admit it, Liverpool and City have had more hits than misses in recent years.

Having caught the attention of both of those two aforementioned clubs, the prospect of Amorim succeeding Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford is an exciting one. He has put Sporting back on the map in both Portugal and in Europe, overseeing an attractive brand of football, inspired by his preferred 3-4-3 formation.

United, as long as the process may continue to take to get back to the position they dream of, need to invest in a manager who will stick to his principles. Ten Hag moved away from his that won him the job in the first place.

The prospect of Amorim installing a 3-4-3 system at Old Trafford would instantly be a huge difference from what United supporters have been used to seeing in recent years. The vast majority of Premier League clubs nowadays operate with either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 formation, focusing on packing the centre of midfield.

Midfield has, of course, been a major issue for United in recent years, with Manuel Ugarte the latest midfield recruit drafted in to try and fix their problems in the centre of the pitch. No stranger to Amorim from their time together at Sporting, Ugarte will be hoping he can kick-start his United career under the stewardship of a boss he already knows inside out.

However, Ugarte, should Amorim be installed as Ten Hag's successor and persist with a 3-4-3 formation that has served him so well at Sporting, will face stern competition for a place in the Portuguese chief's strongest starting XI.

Having been so insistent on a three-man midfield under Ten Hag, United, when everyone is fit and available, have an excellent range of midfielders, each of whom have different profiles, to pick from. Ugarte and Casemiro provide defensive discipline, Kobbie Mainoo, Christian Eriksen and Mason Mount provide control and creativity from the No.8 position, and Bruno Fernandes pulls the strings as the most advanced midfield operator.

Each of those six aforementioned players will each believe they are worthy of starting week-in, week-out. However, the prospect of Amorim sticking with a 3-4-3 system means there could only be places for two of them, with wing-backs a key part of his system.

Ugarte is a defensive specialist, signed from Paris Saint-Germain in August to bring a sense of bite to United's midfield, whereas Mainoo is a forward-thinking player, who will try and dictate games from deep and break the lines. Fernandes is at his best when pulling the strings as an attacking-midfielder.

Mainoo is considered as United's brightest prospect, who has the capacity to play hundreds of games for the club. Ugarte, however, was a big-money addition and Fernandes remains club captain. Mount will also still be hoping he can spark his United career into life.

Of course, there are no guarantees Amorim, if successfully appointed, will remain wedded to his 3-4-3 formation, but the prospect of him doing so means he will have some very tough decisions to make in what has historically been United's most troubled position.