When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made the decision to bring in a specialist set-piece coach it was made with the idea of making marginal gains.
After finishing second in the Premier League to Manchester City last term, the Red Devils were aware they would need to go above and beyond to close the gap.
So before the ink was dry on a deal for Jadon Sancho, negotiations with Raphael Varane were ongoing and the idea of Cristiano Ronaldo returning was little more than a pipe dream - the appointment of Eric Ramsay was confirmed.
Ramsay came with an impressive reputation having previously worked as a youth coach at Shrewsbury and most recently. working with Chelsea ’s Under-23s.
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“We've been fortunate enough to convince Eric Ramsay to come and join the best club in the world and in the country,” a beaming Solskjaer told the club’s media.
“He’s a very highly rated coach who is going to be working with individuals and in charge of set-plays as well.
“We’re excited. He’s young, fresh and with new ideas, an innovative coach we know from before.
“Kieran [McKenna] knows him really well from Loughborough, so we’re very pleased with that.”
But six months after his arrival, the coaching staff has a very different flavour, with both Solskjaer and McKenna no longer at the club.
Ramsay remains in place, now working alongside Ralf Rangnick, Sascha Lense, Chris Armas and Ewan Sharp as the Red Devils look to challenge for the top four.
But Ramsay will not be sitting too comfortable in an evolving Manchester United technical area, with the results of his work under serious question.
Following the 3-1 victory over Brentford, United have now had an astonishing 107 corners without finding the back of the net. And with the exception of penalty kicks, have failed to score from a set-piece all season.
In fact, of the 20 top-flight clubs, United are the only to have yet to find the net, that’s in comparison to Liverpool who have 11 and Chelsea and Man City with 9 - talk about marginal gains.
These stats are perhaps even more surprising considering United possess one of the most aerially dominant attacking players of his generation in Ronaldo, as well as the likes of Harry Maguire and Varane.
And it’s not as if United have been impenetrable at the other end, this campaign has already seen concessions in defeats to Aston Villa and Leicester, as well as another in the win vs the Bees.
There is no doubt that Ramsay’s work on the Carrington training ground will be under the microscope, with Rangnick making no secret about how highly he values efficiency from set-pieces.
He explained in a Coaches’ Voice interview prior to his arrival at Old Trafford: "30% of all goals are scored either on or straight after a set-piece, so, as coaches, you need to be alert to that, and as 30% of all goals are scored in this manner, I commit 30% of my training to set-pieces."
Rangnick will now be hoping that his help can ensure Solskjaer’s final coaching decision doesn’t continue to haunt United in the seasons following the Norwegian’s dismissal.
