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The Manchester United squad answering Bruno Fernandes' demand for a tactical change has proved crucial in sparking their current winning streak. Ruben Amorim's team have won their previous three league games, with United hoping to make it four victories on the bounce in their visit to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. While Amorim recently orchestrated a stunning 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, the Red Devils' subsequent 4-2 home triumph against Brighton last weekend was perhaps even more important. Goals from Matheus Cunha, Casemiro and a Bryan Mbeumo double helped create the belief that United's promising form might be more than a brief hot streak. United boss Amorim has faced fierce criticism during his reign for his unwavering commitment to his 3-4-3 system. Many pundits and United supporters previously argued that the team were poorly suited to the formation. However, Fernandes predicted how United could transform their fortunes following the club's 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City in September. The United captain emphasised that for the side to flourish, more players needed to drop into midfield. The midfield partnership of Fernandes and Casemiro was frequently overwhelmed during the opening weeks of the campaign before United started to follow their skipper's advice. Fernandes highlighted the issue when comparing United's shortcomings to City's flurry of midfielders. "No, because we play with a back five, or sometimes with a four or a three, whatever you want to call it. We need people to be very aggressive in the moment of pressure," Fernandes explained to Sky Sports after the City defeat. "We need to get the moments of jumping because if not, the midfielders get under load. "If you look at City, they had Rodri, Tiji [Reijnders], Bernardo [Silva] coming in, [Phil] Foden. They make basically a midfield four against a two. "So you need the ones in behind you to jump, like Luke [Shaw] was doing very well on Tiji. We did it in the first game against Arsenal , that's why they didn't play. They couldn't find the spaces to play. "That's what makes the spaces very narrow to play against a team that is very aggressive to play on the front foot. If you're not brave enough to do that, they will find the spaces to play because we're playing against a top opponent." It appears the United squad have taken Fernandes' request on board. Luke Shaw , in particular, received praise for his recent display against Brighton , at times advancing from his role in the back three into the midfield. The extra backing for Fernandes and Casemiro gave United greater stability, enabling the team to thrive. Meanwhile, Shaw claimed an assist for Casemiro's deflected strike against Brighton after challenging for possession in midfield. "What Man United have been crying out for is if you're going to play that system, be brave," former City defender Micah Richards said on The Rest Is Football podcast . Luke Shaw was very brave the way he stepped in, and then they go and get the goal. "If you look at the positioning yesterday of Cunha, Cunha was filling in in that midfield role." He continued: "That's the first time I've been convinced that [United] know exactly what their roles are. Now the challenge is consistency." The tactical flexibility shown by both Shaw and Cunha gave United the numerical advantage that Fernandes believed was lacking in the match against City. A few weeks later, United's response to their captain's plea for more support has been key to their winning streak. Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football . We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
