Micah Richards identifies ‘massive disconnect’ at Man United – and a problem with Bruno Fernandes – that Ruben Amorim must fix

Micah Richards believes Manchester United have the talent to thrive under Ruben Amorim but need to fix several serious flaws to turn the tank around.

The pundit believes United have failed to close the gaps between defence, midfield and attack that plagued them last season. He has provided a blueprint to get the most out of Bruno Fernandes.

United cursed their waste after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday and they have a lot to work on with Amorim, who arrives on November 11 as Erik ten Hag’s successor.

Mail Sport’s Oliver Holt claimed the United team has ‘neither identity nor soul’ after watching the draw at Old Trafford. Roy Keane thought they were ‘boring’ and ‘average’.

And Micah Richards diagnosed their problems on the The rest is football. ‘There is such a gap between the midfield and (Rasmus) Hojlund up front. It’s so plain to see,” he said.

He sees a ‘huge gap’ between Rasmus Hojlund up front, midfield and at the back

Bruno Fernandes needs to drop deeper and get more involved in the build-up play, says Richards

Ruben Amorim arrives on November 11 with a ‘big job’ of turning over a swinging giant

‘They fall very deep, Hojlund stays upright and wants to be the target. He does a good job trying to keep the ball up and there’s no one around him. The only option they have is to play alongside Rashford or Garnacho and then just gamble. There is rarely any build-up play.

‘Fernandes starts too far forward and he cannot influence a match with his skills. He needs to start a little further back, get involved in the play and then try to get into the box.

‘There is a huge gap between the back line and the midfield and the midfield and Hojlund up front.’

Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken on the interim leadership after Erik ten Hag was fired last Monday.

His first test was against Leicester City in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup, and United came through with flying colors in a 5-2 victory.

And while a draw with Chelsea is commendable, they are 13th in the Premier League, 21st in the Europa League, and have won just twice in their last ten games in all competitions.

Richards added: “I thought if Van Nistelrooy took the lead we would see something better in the league. I know they have had a good result in the League Cup but I think the new manager has a huge job on their hands.

‘They have the talent, I really believe that. Look at the signings, even if it goes back a while: (Paul) Pogba came in for a big fee, everyone in Europe wanted him. (Harry) Maguire, City wanted him at the time. (Joshua) Zirkzee had a good reputation where he played in Italy, the same goes for Hojlund. Bruno Fernandes who delivered.

Richards thinks Man United’s signings have been great, but they didn’t have a system in mind

He praised Andre Onana’s passing skills but says United defenders ‘don’t know how to receive the ball’

Ruud van Nistelrooy has won one of his two matches as agent and drawn one

‘They’re bringing in the right players. The problem is the system. They only buy players because of their skills, not because of a system.

‘New manager Amorim likes to play with three players at the back and I wonder if this will help them dominate in midfield, where they can dominate the ball a bit more.

“What the players have shown in recent years, you would say they are not good enough for where Man United would like to be. “I don’t think that’s necessarily the case, I just don’t think they’ve had a system that suits the players well enough.”

‘It’s almost as if (Marcus) Rashford wants to be a striker one week and then a winger the next. Do you play Fernandes a little deeper or as number 10? (Lisandro) Martinez was considered too short to act as a central defender, he played a few games as a left back. (Diogo) Dalot is kind of a utility player. (Andre) Onana wants to play. he was excellent at Inter Milan and he wants to play, wants to play football, but there were moments in the match today (against Chelsea) when he wanted to play but the defenders don’t want the ball or don’t know how to receive the ball.

‘The manager has a big job, but I believe the players can show more than they are at the moment. I still think they need some new additions if they want to get to the next level.”