Is a change in formation the solution to Manchester United's problems?

Manchester United are currently in disastrous form, having won only one of their last six Premier League outings. The catastrophic 5-0 defeat to Liverpool two weeks ago was an eye-opener for many, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The following week saw Solskjaer opting for a back-three in a 3-5-2 formation against Spurs which resulted in a 3-0 win for his side.

United have been in a poor run of form over the past couple of months, picking up just four points from the previous 18 available in the Premier League. The club's hierarchy have continued to publicly back Solskjaer despite strong calls for his removal. However, the situation could quickly change with the club already nine points adrift of the top of the table after just 11 games into the season.

Since Solskjaer took over, a 4-2-3-1 formation with a midfield pairing of Scott McTominay and Fred has been their go-to lineup for big games. While United may have a better record with a midfield of 'McFred', this leaves a huge gap in the middle of the park while attacking.

The trend of United being rescued by individual talent continues this season with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, this season the defense has been appalling even with two defensive midfielders in McTominay and Fred!

We often saw United go behind before making a comeback to grab points last season. While that says a lot about the mentality of the players, that is certainly not the way any club can compete for titles. The stats provided by OptaJoe highlight just how bad the United defense has been for some time now:

Paul Pogba's injury might provide Donny Van de Beek with the perfect opportunity.

Manchester United v Everton - Premier League

Solskjaer has experimented with a diamond formation on occasions with highly varying results, but it is widely reported that he prefers a 4-3-3 setup. A midfield of Nemanja Matic or Fred, Donny van de Beek and Bruno Fernandes should help United gain more control in the middle of the park.

Matic, although past his prime, provides more cover and composure to the defense, more so than McFred anyway. His lack of pace would mean for him to be instructed not to venture forward as he has on certain occasions. Although we haven't seen much of Van de Beek, he is expected to be good at ball retention and recovery, while also contributing towards goals.

In his last three seasons at Ajax, Van de Beek had impressively played a direct hand in 49 goals in 91 league appearances (28 goals, 21 assists). While Fernandes does not need a second invitation to shoot, Van de Beek's late runs into the box will add another dimension to United's attack.

26 of the 28 league goals Van de Beek has scored over the last three campaigns at Ajax have been from inside the box. Former United assistant manager Steve McClaren has already compared Van de Beek to Frank Lampard, noting his intelligence and sense of space as key strengths.

Fernandes pretty much roams around the pitch and fairly so, for he possesses the quality to produce a pin-point pass to any corner of the pitch. The flanks could see rotations between the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Jadon Sancho. Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani will need to be managed up front but both could get plenty of game time if chosen for appropriate games.

David De Gea undoubtedly retains his position between the posts but with Luke Shaw struggling for form, Alex Telles deserves a chance to prove himself. Aaron Wan Bissaka should have no problem retaining the right-back position as Diogo Dalot appears to be unreliable.

Although Harry Maguire has been dreadful this season, Solskjaer won't be dropping his captain anytime soon. After a wonderful display against Spurs, Eric Bailly put up a performance to forget against City at the weekend. Victor Lindelof has been the better of the three centre-backs this season, which could see him paired with Maguire in the absence of Raphael Varane.

Are formation and player selection the only problem that United have?

Manchester United v Manchester City - Premier League

Only a formation change might not solve United's problems though. It also comes down to instructions and tactics presented by the manager. Most players look pretty clueless with the ball when attacking. Just relying on Fernandes to produce a peach of a cross or for Greenwood to score a worldie is certainly not what you call a 'plan'.

Even defensively, the players do not cover for each other, some players press while others don't and things like these have annoyed the fans of late. Maguire's decision-making has always been in doubt but this season he has been completely erratic. There is a complete lack of leadership and management in the current United side, as correctly pointed out by Gary Neville recently.

Too many goals conceded this season have been due to individual errors, especially by the likes of Maguire, who, astonishingly, has still retained the captain's armband.

De Gea's frustration was there for all to see in the derby when he punched the tunnel at half-time. After the derby De Gea posted "I am hurt" on his Instagram and rightly so. He returned early post the Euros to train and has been in terrific form this season but his defense has let him down massively.

While Solskjaer has built a very good squad and has given young players like Greenwood a huge push, it might be time for him to leave. An inexperienced manager who delegates many of his duties to an even more inexperienced coaching staff might just not be the solution for this club. Solskjaer is and will always be a United legend but perhaps it's time to say goodbye for now.