After the initial horrors of Brighton and Brentford, Erik ten Hag’s growing influence at Manchester United has been clear to see.
What the former Ajax manager wants from his side long-term isn’t in question, with a desire to build from the back, to squeeze play into the opposition half and to dominate possession. But he has also shown in his early tenure that he is willing to compromise, to be pragmatic, to get the kind of results that, ultimately, will give him the time to build and create a team in the exact image that he wants.
That kind of pragmatism was on show in United’s last Premier League outing - way back on September 4 - when they beat league leaders Arsenal at Old Trafford. For the most part they allowed their visitors to have possession, electing to defend diligently and hit on the counter attack - doing so to great effect, with three fine goals.
