Ruben Amorim is finally beginning to see the green shoots of recovery at Manchester United. And he may be only two or three jigsaw pieces away from solving the puzzle and turning them into genuine top-four contenders again. Three wins on the bounce against Rangers, Fulham and FCSB in Bucharest, plus encouraging results against Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, have given Amorim a foothold in the most-scrutinised job in English football.

OK, they were expected to win those last three games, and they were lucky to take all three points at Craven Cottage, but I can now see his methods taking shape. Amorim has been ruthless, especially in his treatment of Marcus Rashford. He is prepared to take a firm stance, whether it’s an England star like Rashford or anyone else, and perhaps he’s been too honest for his own good after his brutal remark about the “worst team in Manchester United’s history” following the home defeat by Brighton.

But those are the traits of a manager doing it his way - and Thursday night’s convincing win in Romania suggested the cards are beginning to fall into place. First and foremost, Kobbie Mainoo was a revelation in his more advanced position as a No.10 higher up the pitch. There is no doubting Mainoo’s technical ability, and his courage on the ball in tight spaces, but I have sometimes wondered if he has the running power to play as a box-to-box No.6-type midfielder. In Bucharest, we saw him at his best - higher up the pitch, supporting the centre-forward and with a keen eye for goal.

For me, Amorim’s brave new world would feature Amad - United’s best player since the new manager took over - and Mainoo as the two supporting No.10s in his 3-4-3 system. I would deploy Bruno Fernandes in a deeper role where he can dictate the tempo of games, with outstanding prospect Toby Collyer or Manuel Ugarte as United’s other No.6, with Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu, whose move from Lecce is expected to be confirmed this weekend, as wing-backs.

If you have Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui and one of Harry Maguire or Matthijs De Light as your three centre-backs, that gives the side balance and structure. The biggest missing piece of the jigsaw is up front, where neither Rasmus Hojlund nor Joshua Zirkzee have been prolific enough - or contributing enough as an attacking force - to fit Amorim’s grand design. If I were in charge at Old Trafford, I would break the bank for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak as my No.9, but I suspect Amorim is more likely to go all-out for Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres this summer.

Gyokeres is powerful, a proven goalscorer, a striker whose stock is rising fast - and Amorim has the advantage of having worked with him before. United are the bookies’ favourites to win the Europa League after their unbeaten run in the group phase. If they are right, it would land Amorim a ticket to the Champions League next season. And now we can see signs of recovery, and players beginning to understand his system, I would not be surprised to see them back among the top four on the home front next season.

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