I was very impressed with Manchester United's victory against Tottenham on Saturday evening and it was refreshing to see them play well.
United came away from North London with three points as goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, and Marcus Rashford secured a 3-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Let's talk about the important take from the match. What was it? Well, in my opinion, it was the formation switch by Solskjaer, which I rated.
I thought it was a great move. Although I thought he had to make it, I was surprised. Knowing what Solskjaer is like as a manager (stubborn), I expected United to line up in the same 4-2-3-1 system, but instead, they played a 3-5-2, with Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka acting as the wing-backs.
I'm not going to criticise their performances because defensively, they played really, really well. There was a moment in the game where Spurs had an opportunity when Heung-min Son was put through on goal in the first half, but somehow, Wan-Bissaka managed to find a way to put his body on the line and clear the ball out for a corner. Shaw also put in a decent performance for the entirety of the match.
However, in a three-at-the-back system, your wing-backs need to be good going forward. Just look at Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea team. Reece James popped up with two goals against Newcastle and Ben Chilwell already has three Premier League goals in four matches. Attacking-wise, you need to have something about yourself.
In the case of Wan-Bissaka, I'm not saying he's awful going forward, but his numbers compared to a lot of the top full-backs in the league are at a low point. He's played 10 Premier League matches this season and registered no goals or assists.
Diogo Dalot is United's other right-back, but is he any better? Did you watch the match when he played against Villarreal? He wasn't that great. So, it's hard to see where a solution could be.
However, there is one!
The new crop of United's academy players looks superb. It's the most excited I've been as an academy follower and there's one person, who's out on loan, that I think would be perfect for Solskjaer's new system.
His name is Ethan Laird.
A lot has been spoken of about Laird this season because he's been absolutely sensational for Swansea. Again, when they beat Peterborough United 3-0 on Saturday, he was excellent.
He helped get the ball rolling when he set up Jake Bidwell’s goal after just two minutes. That was the second assist of his loan spell and overall, he put in a great display which saw him win two interceptions, one tackle, three ground duels and a 70% pass accuracy ( SofaScore.com).
You might be thinking: 'It's a big step-up from the Championship' or 'He won't fit in United's system.' If you're thinking this, then you're wrong!
Russell Martin has predominantly played with the three-at-the-back system and Laird has been used as the right wing-back. He's shined in this formation, so why couldn't he do it for Solskjaer? I think he would provide great competition for Wan-Bissaka and might even propel him to another level.
If we're judging his recent comments too, Laird has the desire to play for United, so he's definitely got the right mentality to be a senior player for the club.
In an interview with WalesOnline, Laird said: “As a young kid I always wanted to play for Manchester United. That’s something I have always aspired to do.
“But you have to realise there are steps to take. Every person’s journey is different and there are things that you need to do to get to where you want to be.
"I know there's a lot of stuff I want to improve on, even my strengths, I want to make them stronger."
It's another thing to consider for United's management team.
Should United recall Laird? Follow our United On My Mind writer Omar Garrick on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.
