Man Utd 4 Liverpool 0 : How Ten Hag's system showed clear path for Nigeria-eligible winger to shine

As part of the preseason training schedule, arch-rivals Manchester United and Liverpool faced off in a friendly game at the Rajamangala Stadium. The final score ended in a thumping 4-0 win for the Red Devils.

This was the first match of Erik Ten Hag's tenure and allnigeriasoccer.com saw a lot of patterns developing in what the Dutchman is planning to implement at Old Trafford.

It is widely known that Ten Hag is a great believer in the 4-3-3 Juego De Posición tactical set-up and it was no surprise to see that he is implementing it at Manchester United albeit in a different manner.

He has not yet fully transitioned into a 4-3-3 because most of United's midfielders are better suited to a midfield pivot. The likes of Fred, and Scott McTominnay cannot play a single pivot.

However, the shape on display shows a clear path for Nigeria-eligible winger Shola Shoretire. For Juego De Posición to work flawlessly when attacking, it needs an interior player also known as a 'between the lines player' who would occupy the half-spaces.

McTominnay was regularly seen in the half-spaces and while he is a good player, he is not suited to the role.

A between-the-lines player needs to have a great balance with the ball at his feet, creativity must be top-notch, and speed may not be a necessity but he needs to have a good burst within the first 5-10 metres.

Jadon Sancho also played this role against Liverpool and the Englishman performed well. It also makes the signing of Christian Eriksen very sensible.

So in addition to Eriksen, Sancho and to an extent Fernandes, there is still space for one or two more players of this profile.

This opens up a path for Shoretire who is a player that has the traits of exactly what Ten Hag needs.

The England U19 international of Nigerian descent ended the 2021-2022 campaign with eighteen goal involvements (8 goals, 10 assists) from 28 appearances for United's youth teams, and featured twice for the first team.

Shoretire's associative-play is excellent and he is very quick on the turn which is a great asset to have due to compressed spaces in attacking zones.

Due to needing improvements like ball-striking amidst many others in his game, it is likely that he may not be counted upon right now to do a job for Ten Hag.

However, the path is opening up for him and he will need to grab his opportunity with both hands when his time comes in the future amid speculation linking him with a loan move this summer.

Sofoluwe Mayowa

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