Manchester United drew 4-4 at home to Bournemouth on Monday night, with Reuben Amorim’s formation changes also a hot topic after the thrilling game at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have reportedly launched an investigation into how Reuben Amorim’s system adjustment plans were leaked on the day of the game against Bournemouth. United’s head coach has favored a three-man defense since moving to Old Trafford from Sporting in November 2024.
However, in Monday night’s 4-4 draw at home to the Cherries, Diogo Dalot made a slight adjustment, moving from his usual left wing-back position to a traditional full-back role in a four-man defence.
Despite this, information about the change was leaked on Monday afternoon, reportedly raising concerns at United that Bournemouth had been given advance notice of their strategy on the day of the match.
The Mail now claims that United Airlines is working to identify the source of the leak to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future. A club spokesperson declined to comment.
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A concerned Amorim was asked about the changes after Monday’s game and chose to return the question to the media.
“That’s for you guys to discuss, not for me to discuss. I think you all know that I trained with the back four this week. I don’t know how, but that’s a good thing for you guys to discuss this week.”
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Monday’s incident is not the first incident involving a breach at Amorim’s club, with United said to be “furious” in September over reports that Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes was “unhappy”. United’s squad selection has also been leaked ahead of the Manchester derby in December 2024.
Several other articles were leaked last season, including articles about team issues and team news, and United’s senior management took steps to identify bad actors in camp. Other M16 players under Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho have also suffered from leaks.
United got off to a good start against Andoni Iraola’s side on Monday, with Amad deservedly putting Amorim’s side ahead in the first half, but they were equalized by Antoine Semenyo’s equalizer.
Just before half-time, Casemiro put United back in front from a corner kick, and a quick-fire double early in the second half put Bournemouth ahead. Fernandes then equalized with a superb free-kick, before Matheus Cunha put the Red Devils back in the lead.
However, United were unable to hold on to their lead as Eli Junior Crupi equalized for the Cherries once again. The hosts moved up to 6th place in the top flight, with Bournemouth moving up to 13th place.
“I hope you understand it a little bit,” Amorim said after the game. “If you follow the club as much as I have followed the Premier League for many years, you know that you not only have a duty to try to win games, but the way you try to win games is very important to the fans.”
“Of course they are desperate to win, but when you come to Old Trafford you feel they are desperate for inspiration. I think it was partly thanks to Bournemouth that they gave us the inspiration today, but at the end of the day it was a disappointment of not winning the game.”
