The playing style that Erik ten Hag is trying to implement at Manchester United is hugely reliant on Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes, according to Gary Neville.
Ten Hag has taken charge of 21 competitive games as United manager since succeeding Ralf Rangnick in the summer. The Dutchman has won 14, drawn two and lost five of those fixtures, with evidence of his philosophy beginning to show in matches.
United invested over £200million on new players in the summer transfer window to back their new manager. In came Casemiro, Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia, Antony and Lisandro Martinez on permanent transfers, while Martin Dubravka also joined on loan.
Much of the focus around Ten Hag has been on the style of play United are trying to implement, with his background at Ajax influencing his philosophy. Neville believes that the Dutchman is drawing upon his past and he has already put his stamp upon the squad, with the style of previous managers beginning to fade away.
"I do think Ten Hag's football is very different from [Louis] van Gaal's," Neville said on beIN SPORTS. "It is quicker, they play more fast-paced, they have tempo on the ball when they pass.
"I think some of the movements are really good. There are some games where he has to dumb it down because he realises he's playing against better teams and he comes back.
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"But what he's done in midfield with Casemiro, Bruno and Eriksen, I think it's got Manchester United playing quickly back through midfield players and looking forward. Casemiro and Eriksen pass forward all the time through the lines. Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] was playing counter-attack quick a lot, playing deep and going on the counter-attack, like [Jose] Mourinho.
"Van Gaal was possession, but sometimes without real purpose, it felt like they were playing sideways. Ten Hag's style looks like it's got a balance of both, at the moment. But there's a long way to go."
United are fifth in the Premier League after 14 games. Having started the season with back-to-back defeats by Brighton and Brentford, they have shown clear signs of improvement over recent months, only suffering one defeat in their past 12 matches in all competitions.
Ten Hag has tried to change the way the side operates, with clips from United training sessions at Carrington showing him drilling them in a more fluid, line-breaking style. Casemiro's arrival from Real Madrid has seen him anchor the midfield, with Eriksen and Fernandes playing in more advanced roles.
“We want to play a proactive style of football – on the ball and off the ball,” Ten Hag explained in July. “That is, trying to do that has to be our intentions and it’s now, firstly, the coaches bring it over to the team that we are, in every situation, proactive.
“We are brave and willing to have the ball, to give each other options. But also off the ball, to get the pressing style is what we’re working for together. That is my job, to construct a team and to improve the team. You can do it in different ways or in more ways but, to start, it is out of a philosophy."
