The circus of managerial speculation at Manchester United continues after another embarrassing week for the Premier League outfit.

The Red Devils were thumped 3-0 by AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford and under-pressure Michael Carrick is now winless in his last eight outings. Even with the backing of the fans, the manager's time is running out at the Theatre of Dreams.

Ex Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is out of work and one of the names touted as a replacement for Carrick. The Italian knows how to win trophies, but Man Utd supporters must fear his three-at-the-back formation.

Man Utd must not return to Ruben Amorim formation

At surface level, the appointment of Conte is the obvious one for Man Utd. The 57-year-old won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2017, while his reputation of imposing passion and identity on sides is what the Red Devils are in desperate need of.

However, as Carrick and his predecessors have all found, even the best laid plans require the players with the ability and attitude to carry them out. United do not have that for Conte.

The former Napoli man has a penchant for a back three, either in a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2. In such systems, a lot is asked of the wing-backs, who must provide defensive coverage and the primary threat out wide in attacking moves.

Man Utd supporters have, of course, seen this sort of system tested in recent years. Ruben Amorim would regularly opt for the system during his time at Old Trafford.

Under Amorim, the Red Devils played in a 3-4-2-1 and regularly saw their two-man midfield overpowered by opposition, with wide players stuck between defence and attack.

When analysing the system in September 2025, Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson said: "He won't change. He'll look at it and say 'I've got where I am today by playing the way I play', using three at the back and high wing-backs.

"He would have been a perfect fit for Chelsea. They've got world-class wing-backs in Reece James and Malo Gusto, they've got the best holding midfield player in the league in Moises Caicedo. It would fit the players.

"You look at Man United and this system does not suit the squad they've got at all. The two wing-backs are nowhere near it, nowhere near good enough. And they are a big part of this formation working. No legs in midfield. Everything is up against him."

Man Utd do not have players to work under Antonio Conte

Over the 2016/17 campaign, Chelsea were propelled to the title by the form of Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso in these integral positions. With Inter Milan in 2020/21, he won the league in no small part thanks to the hard work of Achraf Hakimi and Ivan Perisic.

This is, of course, a problem position for Man Utd. Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu are the options on the left with Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui on the right - none of these four players offer the dynamism and personality to make these roles their own.

Conte would therefore need to turn to the transfer market to find more suitable options, and the likes of Hakimi, Alonso and Perisic are not easy to buy. Man Utd tried and failed to find a replacement for Shaw this summer, so know that struggle all too well.

Alongside the wing-backs is the need for three centre-backs capable of turning in reliable performances throughout the season. Putting another centre-back on the pitch may seem an obvious way to stop leaking goals but, if they aren't up to scratch, the situation is only worsened.

Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez and Ayden Heaven have all made costly mistakes this season, while Matthijs de Ligt has had fitness problems. Harry Maguire has avoided some of that criticism but, at 33 years old, is not a player to build a formation around.

The 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 systems require centre-backs to be mobile and adaptable when covering space left by the wing-backs. The current Man Utd options lack the pace and confidence to do that effectively - the Conte system obviously would not work.