When Jude Bellingham opened the scoring for England against Iran at the World Cup on Monday afternoon, Luke Shaw assisted the goal. Bukayo Saka then extended the advantage before half-time and it was Harry Maguire who provided the assist.
Although Iran were inferior in all areas across the pitch, Shaw enjoyed an outstanding first 45 minutes at the Khalifa International Stadium and Maguire, who came close to scoring himself when hitting the crossbar with a powerful header, looked excellent. His passing was superb and it helped England break the lines, while he was imperious from corners and unfortunate not to score.
Manchester United have three representatives in the England squad in the World Cup and the Reds pair that started the match, Shaw and Maguire, made an immediate impact, while Marcus Rashford also contributed, despite starting on the bench.
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Rashford was introduced in the 71st minute and it took him just 49 seconds to score, which made his strike the third-quickest goal by a substitute in World Cup history. His goal was beautifully taken and his touch inside proved he's playing with confidence after a strong start to the season with Erik ten Hag in charge, who has gradually coaxed Rashford back to something like his best.
He has played with a smile all season at Old Trafford and he was beaming again when celebrating with his England teammates.
England are a better team when United aren't struggling in the Premier League and it's already obvious that Shaw, Maguire and Rashford are going to influence the nation's fortunes in Qatar, with two of those seemingly guaranteed to start, at least.
Shaw was the world's best left-back in the 2020/21 season - that is not hyperbole - and he continued in that form at the European Championship. He's not been in that form since but he was performing at those levels against Iran on Monday.
After losing his starting place to Tyrell Malacia at club level, Shaw has fought back to impress Ten Hag and he's enjoyed a consistent few months ahead of this winter World Cup, which has given him the platform to emulate his Euro 2020 displays.
Of course, tougher tests await for England at the World Cup, but Shaw added another dimension to the attacks against Iran and he looked athletic when venturing down the left flank with intent throughout the entirety of the 90 minutes.
Shaw seems genuinely relaxed and happy in the in-house England media content that has been released and that's a testament to the environment that Ten Hag has created at Carrington, following a nightmare season that obliterated players' confidence.
Ten Hag has brought discipline back to the club and the players have responded, which has seen them return to form. Shaw is expected to start the majority of England's games at the tournament and he would not be such an asset without Ten Hag.
The same can be said about Rashford, who fully deserved his recall to the England squad after contributing eight goals and three assists across all competitions this season, perhaps benefitting the most from the Dutchman's appointment.
Ten Hag praised Rashford on the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia and he insisted the forward would be a key part of his long-term vision for the club, which has been proved by the player's talismanic performances so far this term.
The word 'dynamic' has been regularly used by Ten Hag when discussing his preferred attack and Rashford epitomises that, as he's able to play from the left and down the middle and that's why it was inevitable he would make the England squad.
While Rashford might not be guaranteed to start in Qatar, he's a wonderful and unique option to have from the bench, however, although Ten Hag has helped Shaw and Rashford, he won't take any credit for Maguire, should he enjoy an impressive tournament.
Maguire is currently United's fourth-choice centre-back and yet Southgate has shown unwavering trust in him. Maguire needed to vindicate that faith against Iran and he did, with the exception of his lapse in concentration for their first goal.
United's players are set to have an important role for England and Ten Hag has certainly improved Shaw and Rashford.
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