Where would Manchester United have finished last season if Erik ten Hag had his first-choice starting XI available for the entire campaign?
Furthermore, where would Manchester United have finished if Ten Hag had shaken up his tactics a little earlier?
A shift towards a four-man midfield and a ‘false nine’ system towards the back end of the campaign had almost immediate – and impressive – results. United ended 2023/24 with three successive wins.
A run which culminated in that ‘glorious’ FA Cup triumph over Manchester City at Wembley.
And while there would be no repeat of those May-time celebrations on Saturday – Pep Guardiola and co triumphing on penalties to claim the Community Shield – Ten Hag’s new-look approach again had the required effect.
Man United could and really should have put the game to bed before Bernardo Silva headed home a late equaliser. A performance of rare solidity and threat.
And legendary right-back Gary Neville would not be surprised if this is the system Ten Hag opts to stick with at the start of the new Premier League campaign.
Gary Neville expects a different Manchester United now
Neville, who feels that Wembley goalscorer Alejandro Garnacho is edging towards ‘undroppable’ status, also thinks that a four-strong midfield is the key to unlocking Casemiro’s destructive potential while making United far-better suited to deal with rapid-fire counter-attacks in transition.
“Garnacho is probably the one at the moment where (Ten Hag) thinks he’s probably going to play,” Neville tells The Overlap. “They’ll play the split-strikers. It wouldn’t surprise me if what he’s seen against City is something he goes with in the season.
“They can’t be so open again in midfield. I think he will try and get (Mason) Mount, Casemiro, (Kobbie) Mainoo and (Bruno) Fernandes in (the same starting XI).
“They have got an interesting group of four players there.”
Mount was limited to only five Premier League starts due to injury, much to Ten Hag’s frustration. Mainoo, meanwhile, missed the first few months of the campaign himself.
When fit, both bring guile and energy to a hitherto once-paced engine room. United now also have Joshua Zirkzee – a ‘master’ link-man – capable of dropping deep and making that split-striker formation click.
Zirkzee’s awareness and vision could help take the goalscoring potential of Garnacho, Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford to another level entirely.
Joshua Zirkzee could make debut versus Fulham
“Mount was injured for most of last season, Mainoo didn’t come in until after (the October),” adds Neville. “There is a massive difference from last year.
“They had Casemiro basically sitting on his own. They had Mount and Fernandes and the two wide players high. That’s not what they’re doing now. They are putting Mainoo alongside Casemiro and they play narrow with Mount and Fernandes.
“They’ve got an interesting four players with some sort of split-striker. (That way) you can be a bit more narrow and compact.”
Man United kick off the new league campaign at home to Marco Silva’s Fulham on Friday.
Zirkzee did not get off the bench against Manchester City but should be in line for a Red Devils debut when The Cottagers come to town. Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui will also be in contention after they were officially confirmed as the club’s new number four and number three on Monday evening.
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