Manchester United have yet to discover what life under Erik ten Hag will be like, but the innovative Dutchman has already brought calmness and structure to his selection process. However, could there be scope for the manager to throw down a wildcard on the opening day against Brighton?
Had things gone to plan in the transfer window, Cristiano Ronaldo might have been on his way with United reassigning his famous number 7 shirt for a third straight season. In reality, the exact opposite happened and United continue to roll with the punches in what has been an equally promising and frustrating off-season.
Rewind to departure time for the summer tour and very few would have believed what they went on to see from rejuvenated France striker Anthony Martial, but he in tandem with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford offered a glimpse of what life without Ronaldo might be like.
READ MORE: Ten Hag slams Ronaldo questions
United struggled for non-Ronaldo goals last season. In the space of a few days, though, Ten Hag found his solution with Sancho right, Rashford left and Martial central in a front three.
However, that plan of attack will have to be re-worked at the 11th hour with Martial injured and Ronaldo not yet at full fitness, even though the five-time Ballon d'Or winner might have to start against Brighton on Sunday afternoon. But there are other options.
Rashford could be deployed through the middle with Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen dovetailing at number 10 and on the left-hand side, while Anthony Elanga is another contender for that role. Rashford, though, remains key to that preferred formation and a tweak which Ten Hag might have to consider in these circumstances.
Speaking about his versatility in an interview from 2020, the England forward said: "When you are on the left, you can create a lot more things on your own, giving that little bit more to the team. Whereas when you are playing up front, sometimes you are isolated and need someone in midfield who can find passes for 90 minutes of a game, so you can disappear in games sometimes as a number nine.
"When I transitioned to a number nine when I was younger, that's the bit I struggled with as I was always someone who wanted to express myself on the ball. When I started playing number nine, I realised that you don't see the ball as often as you do in other positions, but when you do see the ball, it's an opportunity to score goals.
"That's what I loved about being a number nine and what I still love about it. But right now I'm enjoying having the freedom to mix between the two. I think it suits us well at the moment as Anthony [Martial] likes to drift to the left and drop deep as well."
Rashford and Martial have certainly backed up that theory in pre-season and it could be what United miss most in their Premier League opener. However, despite preferring the left-hand channel himself, Rashford is still not averse to playing centrally - and that is where a wildcard change might come into play for Ten Hag.
Along with Sancho at Chelsea last season, Rashford caused problems for Ronaldo-less United in a front two which allowed them to play an extra midfield player. Indeed, with Michael Carrick sat in the dugout calling the shots, they went with a diamond-like shape in the engine room.
Given this situation with Martial and Ronaldo, that might prove just the ticket once again as Ten Hag strives to get free-thinking Eriksen and Fernandes into the same starting XI without sacrificing one in an unfancied position - and more importantly not reducing an encouraging attacking formula.
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