Video – Watch as Manchester United showed off their new identity with a 10-second eight-pass move

Especially in the 26th minute of a 1-0 victory.

United deserved it for the unexpected and unexpected sequence, which showed a glimpse of the identity Erik ten Hag is attempting to adopt in an eight-pass, ten-second move played fully within United’s third.

Anthony Elanga spotted the dropped ball, moved Luke Thomas away from it, turned towards his own goal, and passed it to Diogo Dalot. From that point forward, United played as though their uniforms were Dutch orange.

Dalot passed the ball to Christian Eriksen, who passed it to Lisandro Martinez, who lofted it into Bruno Fernandes for a fast flick (that’s when the “ole”ing started) to Tyrell Malacia. One touch back to Eriksen, then Martinez and Fernandes through Malacia’s legs.

Martinez’s pass went through five Leicester players, and Dalot, a rising star in the United squad, lifted his hands and linked them.

Leicester only regained possession after Eriksen’s attempt was saved by Danny Ward. United possessed the ball for 38 seconds and worked it from back to front with an authority rarely seen in recent years.

It’s no accident that three of Ten Hag’s signings were part of the six-man routine. Ten Hag preferred Martinez over Pau Torres in part because of his distribution, and he and Malacia have dethroned England internationals who were the star centre-back and left-back at last year’s European Championship.

Ten Hag stated of United’s advanced style, “Yes, I have seen some fantastic stuff.” “It’s more than just the details. I see structures on the horizon. It’s encouraging to see that we’re building.

“We must do so and improve from game to game.” That includes work on the practice field, work on the film, and work in the games.”

“It’s all about formation, drawing lines, and making good decisions.” The decisions made on the field. But, even without possession, we are making progress. We have a foundation, but there is still much room for progress.”

Eriksen was named man of the match, and having the opportunity to watch him live on a regular basis reminds you why Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all tried to convince him to join United.

It seemed fitting that Eriksen, the Dutchified Dane, was at the heart of United’s Total Football, signaling to Martinez to locate Fernandes and altering his positioning to make room for Malacia to receive the ball.

United were most dangerous with Eriksen on the ball against Southampton, and he was more prominently involved in a more progressive performance against Leicester.

The notable starters were once again defenders. Raphael Varane, who Ten Hag characterized as “immense” last week, has been imperious and nearly impregnable since his reinstatement. With Varane on the field, United have only conceded one goal in 315 minutes.

“It’s all about formation, drawing lines, and making good decisions.” The decisions made on the field. But, even without possession, we are making progress. We have a foundation, but there is still much room for progress.”

Eriksen was named man of the match, and having the opportunity to watch him live on a regular basis reminds you why Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all tried to convince him to join United.

It seemed fitting that Eriksen, the Dutchified Dane, was at the heart of United’s Total Football, signaling to Martinez to locate Fernandes and altering his positioning to make room for Malacia to receive the ball.

United were most dangerous with Eriksen on the ball against Southampton, and he was more prominently involved in a more progressive performance against Leicester.

The notable starters were once again defenders. Raphael Varane, who Ten Hag characterized as “immense” last week, has been imperious and nearly impregnable since his reinstatement. With Varane on the field, United have only conceded one goal in 315 minutes.

Dalot recovered an average of six balls per match while winning 3.5 aerial duels. His increased fitness over the last two years is evident in the amount of sprints he has completed (46 in the first three fixtures).

Although it was not clear in his first season as a youngster, Dalot’s demeanor is consistent with defensive personalities admired by Jose Mourinho throughout his career, and the Roma coach sought to loan Dalot last season. Dalot is just as excited in warm-ups as he is in games, and he is now celebrating goal kicks with Martinez.

“Lisandro Martinez is a pit bull; he’ll give his life for us,” Patrice Evra stated. “I’ve played with Gabriel Heinze, Carlos Tevez, Paulo Dybala, and Lucas Bernardi, and South Americans play with passion and give everything they’ve got, it’s like they’re going to war.”

“I see the whole team defending collectively, and that makes it simpler for our defenders,” Ten Hag explained. “I believe they excel at cooperating. They do it together, they encourage each other, and they perform well. Opponents are finding it difficult to create chances, and I believe this is what we’re witnessing on the field.”

United supporters are clearly pleased with what they are seeing.