Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim is set to change his formation in preparation for three players leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations, according to reports.

The Red Devils could move level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea if they can beat Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Monday night.

After winning three Premier League matches in a row for the first time under Ruben Amorim in October, Man Utdhave won just two of their next six matches.

Usually their inconsistency would have seen them further down the tablebut a congested top half means they are eighth and only three points above Tottenham, who are top of the bottom half.

There has been pressure for a while for Amorim to move away from his 3-4-2-1 formation, which he has exclusively used since becoming Man Utd head coach in November last year.

But The Athleticinsists that Amorim ‘effectively told’ his Man Utd players that “a change is coming” in a team meeting ahead of their 4-1 win over Wolves last week.

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That ‘left those listening with the distinct impression that a tactical shift was on the horizon’ with the upcoming absence of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and?Noussair Mazraoui – who are all off to the Africa Cup of Nations – leading to a rethink.

Sources close to the club have told The Athleticthat ‘a significant amount of time during training sessions in preparation for the visit by Bournemouth today (Monday) has been dedicated to the side lining up’ in a 4-3-3.

The report adds: ‘That can, in part, be attributed to United practising pressing schemes, with Amorim working on a 4-3-3 defensive system. But together with his message to the players before the Wolves game, and his statements in press conferences, an evolution from his back-three dogma seems to be a call he is seriously deliberating.’

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When asked how Benjamin Sesko’s return from injury would impact his Man Utd team selection going forward, Amorim said:?“I think it’s not just Ben but everyone.

“We need to adapt a little bit the way we are going to play the games, and that is a good opportunity to do that because we cannot think that we are going to play the same way without Amad, Bryan and Nous (Mazraoui), but especially Amad and Bryan because of the characteristics. That is really hard to get.

“They have more or less the same characteristics, the both of them, and we are losing them for a few games. But it’s a good opportunity for us to try to play in a different way.”

Amorim later added: “I think we need to work on the variability of the way we play, especially in the build-up. I think I need to find different ways to take all the juice from the team, from the squad. I’m just trying to find out solutions to win more games.”