Ralf Rangnick will discard his favoured formation in order to reverse Manchester United ‘s poor form and get Jadon Sancho back to his best.
The interim head coach is ready to do away with his 4-2-2-2 set-up and pursue a 4-3-3 formation he hopes will benefit United’s struggling £73m winger.
United drew 2-2 with Aston Villa on Saturday to leave them seventh in the table with one win in four Premier League matches.
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Sancho had to settle for a late appearance against Steven Gerrard’s side and he has only scored twice since his arrival from Dortmund last summer.
Rangnick concedes his traditional 4-2-2-2 has not played to the 21-year-old’s strengths and he is ready to change his tactics so he can line up in his “best position”.
“We have now decided to play a 4-3-3 like we did against Aston Villa, with one holding six, two eights and three offensive players,” Rangnick said ahead of United’s trip to Brentford on Wednesday night.
“It’s clear in a 4-3-3 that he (Sancho) is a player for either of the wing positions, either left or right, he can play both.
“I think he would prefer a little bit the left side, because then he can switch inside and shoot on goal with his strong right foot.
“But for me there’s no questions about his position. “He’s a winger, as we say in Germany, someone who can dribble fast with the ball and for me there’s not at all a question over the best possible position for him.
“But again, it’s not only about training at the highest possible level. “I said that to him by the way the day before yesterday – confirm the performances you show in training when you’re playing on the pitch.”
A shift to the new formation is sure to suit Sancho more than the 4-2-2-2 system which had him playing as an attacking midfielder.
But Rangnick emphasised the formation he uses is a “means to an end” rather than a way of guaranteeing an upturn in results.
“Of course, in my opinion, this formation has to fit to the players you have available,” Rangnick added. “In the long term, it would be good to have one formation or one style of play.”
