Erik ten Hag made his first changes approaching the hour mark in Manchester United's match against Real Sociedad on Thursday.
The electronic board was raised and it signalled that Victor Lindelof and Donny van de Beek were coming off the pitch, to be replaced by Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford, which suggested there was an interesting tactical/formation change to come.
That was indeed the case, with Ten Hag playing Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw in a back three, with Casemiro and McTominay protecting that backline in a double pivot, while Rashford was asked to play where Van de Beek had been.
ALSO READ: Man United make statement about 'Glazer out' banner incident
That meant Alejandro Garnacho was playing on the left, Cristiano Ronaldo was down the middle, Bruno Fernandes was on the right and Rashford was playing in attacking midfield, in the No.10 position which the latter has usually occupied.
Ten Hag has consistently got his substitutions right this season but his changes hindered the side on this occasion, which meant United were unable to find the second goal that was needed in San Sebastian to win the Europa League group.
United could now play Ajax, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Sevilla, Sporting Libson, Juventus, RB Salzburg or Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League Round of 32. Not winning the group brings a potential glamour tie, albeit a possible tricky two matches.
After failing to win the Europa League group, which was Ten Hag's first target of the season, United's attention has returned to the Premier League and preparation for Aston Villa began on Friday morning, as the players trained in San Sebastian.
United decided to stay over in Spain after Thursday's match, to train on Friday before flying back to Manchester. They did the same in after playing Omonia in Cyprus last month and it seemed to work when they defeated Everton at Goodison Park.
Fernandes is suspended for the match at Villa Park, as he received his fifth yellow of the season last weekend, and United are preparing for the match without him, which means Ten Hag could perhaps play Rashford as a No.10 instead. Yes, really.
Van de Beek was anonymous in that position against Real Sociedad and it was interesting that Ten Hag replaced him with Rashford. The Dutchman also played Rashford as a No.10 against FC Sheriff in the penultimate Europa League group match.
Rashford was recently asked about his strongest position and he reiterated playing on the left was 'more natural' for him.
"I think I can play both [left and middle]," Rashford said. "The left side is probably more natural for me. I enjoy doing both, I'm just helping the team. I think that's what is important and we have a lot of players in the squad who can play in different positions.
"It's a big positive to have [versatility]. If we have injuries and stuff like that, you never know what's going to happen, you have to be at your best to play in whatever position is needed."
However, Rashford did discuss his versatility and that's clearly something which Ten Hag appreciates, as he's surprisingly experimented with playing him as an attacking midfielder across the last week, with the role change perhaps going under the radar.
Ten Hag could play Eriksen in that position, with Casemiro and Fred in the midfield alongside him, but it wouldn't be a complete shock if Rashford was asked to start at No.10 against Aston Villa, considering the United boss has entertained the idea.
Rashford has always been best from the left, but he might have to play where Ten Hag wants him in Fernandes' absence.
READ NEXT:
