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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Richard Fay

The trio that have made Manchester United unstoppable this season

We know what you're thinking. Manchester United: unstoppable?

It has certainly not been plain sailing for Erik ten Hag throughout his debut campaign in English football, but the weekend win over Nottingham Forest was evidence of the undeniable progress they have been making.

United responded to a devastating double injury blow by strengthening their top-four ambitions and proving that they are still a side capable of winning comfortably without their best players.

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Any team would miss its star performers, but the sign of a good one is that it will still find a way to win without them. Even without top scorer Marcus Rashford and their two best defenders, they did just that.

United fans would have been happy with any win given the circumstances heading into the trip to Nottingham, and it says so much about the professional performance that by full-time there was a gluttony for even more goals to reflect their dominance.

The key to that was not the trio of brilliant players that were missing, but the trio of elite midfielders who have made United unstoppable as a force this season.

Again, the immediate response is to roll your eyes and brush aside the hyperbole of a team that is third in the Premier League and playing in the Europa League as 'unstoppable', but in one form they truly have been.

United have been at their best when they have been able to field a side composed of players who are in Ten Hag's desired vision for the team; they did just that on Sunday.

The Dutchman wants players who cherish the ball and are confident with it at their feet. They must not only be able to pick a pass but also know when it is right to do so. Composure is valued just as high as creativity.

Christian Eriksen is the very embodiment of that, and his return to the line-up was an inadvertent masterstroke following Marcel Sabitzer's late withdrawal.

United have been cautious to gently ease him back into action following his ankle injury, it is clear that he is well up to the task of starting games again now.

What makes Eriksen so good is that he is on the same wavelength as his midfield partners. Bruno Fernandes, noted for his risk-taking, is now embracing his new responsibility in the United side as a more methodical master craftsman.

He has been the unsung hero of United's performances over the last month or so, and he was at his brilliant best on Sunday, linking-up so intelligently with Eriksen while posing the more direct danger at goal.

Just as important is the presence of Casemiro behind them. He not only acts as the ideal anchor for their attacking talent, but he also possesses the same creativity and calmness that his manager craves.

It means that when fully fit, United have a midfield perfectly aligned with Ten Hag's thinking and who offer an exciting glimpse at their future under him.

The stats back it up too.

United have won 15 of the 17 matches in which Casemiro, Eriksen, and Fernandes have all started together in all competitions this season. They drew the other two and are yet to lose a match in which that trio has started together.

With a win rate of 88% and an unbeaten record, it is fair to call them unstoppable, though the issue has been managing to get them all in the line up in the first place.

That will be a problem again when they travel to face Sevilla on Thursday night, with Fernandes set to miss the match due to suspension.

United will hope that Sabitzer will be back to fill the gap again, just as he has done so brilliantly since he joined, though it once again highlights the long-term need for another like-minded midfielder in the first-team squad.

They are yet to be stopped with them.

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