Erik ten Hag's strongest Manchester United side is beginning to take shape.
The difference in results and performances from his first two Premier League matches in charge to the four that followed couldn't be starker. United were humbled by Brighton on the opening weekend and then absolutely destroyed the next at Brentford. A big aspect of those matches was the players were not able to carry out Ten Hag's ideal style but an even bigger one is that it wasn't his ideal side either.
In the games since, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Cristiano Ronaldo and Fred have all dropped out of the starting XI and there has been a marked upturn in results. Four consecutive league victories - two of which came against Liverpool and the undefeated Arsenal - and suddenly what looked to be a brewing crisis has been completely averted.
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The fact that three of those four players returned to action on Thursday only to fall to a defeat to Real Sociedad at home shows that their replacements have been performing much better for Ten Hag. Tyrell Malacia, Raphael Varane, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay have all enjoyed fine starts to the campaign.
Malacia appears to be a really smart addition to the squad. Despite being caught out on a few occasions he is generally solid at the back and is really comfortable on the ball. McTominay is enjoying a surprising resurgence as he has kept his place ahead of Casemiro so far with his energy and physicality offering some steel to the midfield. Varane looks every bit of the world-class defender he is now Lisandro Martinez is alongside him while Rashford has seemingly finally found his long-lost confidence.
Shifting any of these players, as well as the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen and Martinez who have already well secured their spots, is looking increasingly difficult. But that's what United need, strong competition for places to drive performances. Despite their current ruts, Shaw, Ronaldo and Fred are of course talented players who could still potentially have plenty to offer. Maguire's position looks a little shakier due to his long streak of poor performances but he is still the club captain.
The challenge Ten Hag has laid out for them should, hopefully, inspire them to work hard to get back to their best and push for a starting berth every single week. Even if Thursday's defeat wasn't a great start.
They aren't the only ones who have been handed the gauntlet. It was thought that Ten Hag's arrival may give a second chance to Donny van de Beek after failing to establish himself at Old Trafford since his move from Ajax. The midfielder shone under the manager in Amsterdam and some hoped he'd rediscover that form under his old boss.
Yet, Van de Beek has seen just 19 minutes of action this season and is far down the midfield pecking order. That's still more football than Aaron Wan-Bissaka has seen though, as he has had just one four-minute substitute appearance so far. It doesn't look like he'll get many more either, with Ten Hag making his mind up on his suitability to the team very early on into his reign.
But all the more inspiration to prove him wrong. Wan-Bissaka hasn't lived up to his potential in the slightest and has actually gone backwards but he was once a capable defender and he should be doing all he can to find it again. Likewise, Van de Beek has shown he has the talent to be effective on the biggest stage.
It's becoming clearer which players are in Ten Hag's plans and which ones are not. If the six on the outs want that to change then they must rise to the challenge.
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