Are Manchester United’s new signings reason to be positive?

With Rasmus Hojlund out injured, United’s Dutch manager opted to adopt this fluid shape, which has caused issues for defenders due to the buzzing movement of the aforementioned duo never letting defenders settle into a pattern of how best to stop them. While losing a target man and reference point comes with its downsides, this setup offers something different that opponents have found difficult to combat.

Meanwhile, their energy and intensity on the defensive end has been a bonus, for the likes of Fernandes, Mount and Joshua Zirkzee have pressed effectively from this base to protect the centre and force opponents wide, where they can then shift aggressively and angle their harrying to compress the available playing space to use the touchline as an extra defender.

The fact the midfield looked more solid prior to the aforementioned loss - a match that saw both Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo’s sloppy turnovers serve as catalysts for the Reds to score - and have been generally given up far less quality chances and shots compared to last crusade, where they were extremely ineffective at nullifying foes, suggests that they are capable of being a far better defensive force this season. Eliminating individual mistakes and lapses in judgement will be key, though, for a large chunk of their goals conceded have arisen from avoidable errors.

Encouragement can be drawn from their more coherent build-up too, which has featured some slick combination play with the dropping front pairing, crisp rotations between the full-backs and midfielders, and how they've drawn foes infield before finding the wingers in oceans of space to attack backpedaling backlines.

Another upside has also been evident from the full-backs embarking on crafty underlap as the wingers hold the width, Andre Onana using his strong kicking game to power his team up the pitch rapidly, their continual excellence on the counter through the likes of Amad Diallo, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford and how they've at times committed five or six players to their attacking line to overload defences.

Doing a solid job of manipulating the shape of opponents to create promising scenarios to progress through the thirds, watch for further strides to be made once the new signings start to stamp their mark.

At just 23, with the potential to be a world class operator in his position and boasting vast knowledge of what it takes to succeed at the highest level both domestically and internationally, expect him to be a huge asset once he's fully integrated into life at his new side.

“I think he is a very good fit for Manchester United. A good fit to this team because this team needs that controlled aggression. He’s a very brave player, so we would be really happy. I’m sure he will really contribute to our success,” ten Hag explained.

By the numbers (albeit from a small sample size), ten Hag’s persistent desire to make United the best transition team in the world is illustrated by the numbers that state they rank first so far in the Premier League for through passes (7.63 per 90), first for smart passes (3.97 per 90) and fourth for offsides (2.75 per 90).

Patience and time will need to be given to the new faces to fully assimilate considering they either missed the pre-season or, in Yoro's case, were injured during it. But given that the United ownership and supporters expect results now, it'll be a tough situation for ten Hag to navigate, especially after their unsatisfactory opening to the crusade.

"There will be no hiding place at United for Erik ten Hag, and even though he has been given a new deal, the club are expecting improved results very quickly. They have now lost to Brighton and scraped past Fulham and I expect Sir Jim Ratcliffe won’t hesitate to make a change," asserted former star Dwight Yorke prior to the Liverpool clash.

All eyes will now be focused on building on their strengths and addressing their shortcomings, for the pressure has already been piled on ten Hag following the disappointing result versus Liverpool at Old Trafford, even with the club standing in support of him for the time being.

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