Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tactical plan to get Manchester United back on top

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With the arrival of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, there can be no mistaking the blueprint to Manchester United's recruitment this summer.

Gone are the days where new signings were weighed up against their star pedigree and social media following. Superstars are out, while young, exuberant, British talent are very much in.



But Wan-Bissaka's acquisition - and Daniel James before him - also offer insight into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans to put Manchester United back on their feet on the field.



Although big spending may not be yet be cast aside following a £50million outlay on a full-back, a combination of youthful recruits, astute expenditure and a return of the United Way appear to be the foundations of the Norwegian's Old Trafford rebuild.

Youthful recruitment
After five years of slow decline, United have turned to their past for inspiration.

Solskjaer is hoping the restoration of the 'United Way', channelling the youthful energy of the Busby Babes and Sir Alex Ferguson's treble winners, can put the club back on the right path.



The arrivals of James and Wan-Bissaka, who are both still wet behind the ears in footballing terms at 19 and 21 respectively, underline United's recruitment about-turn.

The cornerstones are being laid for another renovation, building on academy products like Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and teenager Mason Greenwood by adding other youngsters yet to prove themselves at the highest level.

Ferguson did this repeatedly during his trophy-laden 26 years in the dugout, from Roy Keane to Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, while Busby did likewise with Ray Wood, Harry Gregg and Tommy Taylor - one of the most expensive signings of his era.



£50million Wan-Bissaka and whizzkid James fit that category, as do a host of names linked with Old Trafford, including Newcastle's Sean Longstaff, 21 and Leicester's James Maddison, 22.



Solskjaer, mirroring his predecessors before him, is looking to harness the desire of these youngsters to catapult United back to the top, while seeking to utilise the club's feted academy as the backbone to success.

Upping the intensity
But age is not just a number for the Norwegian coach. There is a tactical purpose to acquisition of youth as much as there is a need to disband established egos in the dressing room.

Primarily, it concerns running.



Last season, as United stumbled over the line to finish miserably in sixth, the Red Devils were found wanting in the fitness stakes.



The initial upturn in form under Solskjaer soon petered out and the coach laid the blame firmly on his players' fitness levels in the wake of a 4-0 drubbing by Everton - during which the Toffees ran 8km further than his own cohort.

'We know our fitness is nowhere near good enough,' Solskjaer said at Goodison Park.

'And we all know to win games of football: Basics and fitness. That's nothing to do with talent. It's not a surprise that you hear the stats Everton have ran more than us.



'It's not just about running, it's about decisions, sticking your head in where it hurts, defend a long throw-in, defend a corner, block that shot, tackle middle of the pitch, put your body on the line. It hurts to win football games.'

Intensity is a key element of the style of play Solskjaer wishes to re-establish at Old Trafford and to do that, United will need to work harder.

Last season, United finished 18th for distance covered in the Premier League, following on from 19th in 2017-18 and 20th in 2016-17.



It is not surprise, therefore, that the 20-time Premier League winners have all been handed individual training programmes this summer by Solskjaer, and have been warned they must be in shape before July 1.

It is an attitude test for the Red Devils current crop and the United boss knows that those most willing to push themselves will be those with something to prove.



New signing Daniel James, for instance, has taken himself off to Dubai of his volition for warm weather training, despite already being match-sharp courtesy of his Nations League fixtures with Wales.

His example shows why Solskjaer is willing to put his faith in recruiting younger talent.



Aaron Wan-Bissaka and defensive insurance
The one area that does require limitless barrels of energy is at full-back and that, as well as his tender years and more than apparent potential, is why Solskjaer was adamant that the club recruit Aaron Wan Bissaka.



During Solskjaer's time as a player at Old Trafford, he was used to rampaging full-backs, and the boundless energy of Gary Neville and Dennis Irwin.

Wan-Bissaka is poised to fulfill that role. The defender is regarded as one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league - and last season, no player in Europe's top five leagues completed more than his 129 successful tackles.



The 21-year-old combines his defensive solidity with an ability to be a threat in the final third, helped by the fact that he used to play as a winger.



'No it wasn't (a hard process to become a first-team right back),' Wan-Bissaka told Sportsmail earlier this month. 'I don't think it was a big difference. It was just more defending that I had to add to my game and I like defending. Even when I was a winger I liked defending. They say I have got long legs so that's an advantage for me I use.'

For Solskjaer, recruiting a right-back was a must. The club's current first choice full-back, Ashley Young, turns 34 next month. Antonio Valencia, already at 34, is heading for the exit door. Their £19million deputy, Diogo Dalot, has endured a stuttering start to life in Manchester.



But the Norwegian coach wants a little more, and that plays into his desire to reintroduce the brand of football for which United were famous.

The 'United Way' is more than just the echoing 'attack, attack, attack' from the terraces. It is the legacy of George Best, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo, combined with industrious full-backs like Neville, Irwin and Patrice Evra.



It is about penetration in wide areas, high energy and a compact set-up. Wan-Bissaka, schooled at a Crystal Palace side who are built to showcase their strength in wide areas where Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend wreak havoc, ticks all the right boxes.



The former Eagles full-back is adept at combining defensive insurance with attacking gambits, and that slots him perfectly into Solskjaer's lineup.

Daniel James and width in attack
Wan-Bissaka is set to be the perfect foil for wingers whose mindset is solely on getting forward, and one of those will be United's first signing of the summer - Daniel James.



The signing of the Welsh wing wizard James has a very Ryan Giggs feel to it - and that's not only because his arrival has been endorsed by the club's record appearance holder.

Giggs, during the early part of his United career, was renowned for his ability to drive past full-backs thanks to his close control and impressive turn of pace.



He was given license to do that by Sir Alex Ferguson in a system that freed wide forwards. Behind him sat the reliable and iron-lunged Irwin, while on the left side of midfield, Roy Keane swept up any turnovers.

Solskjaer has shown a similar desire to implement a system that frees his wingers and plays directly to the fundamental tenets of the 'United Way', by penetrating wide areas.

Indeed, a 4-4-2 diamond with his two forwards split up front, or an inverted 4-3-3 with a forward dropping deeper, both featured frequently on his tactics board last season.



For a system with advanced wingers to be effective, it requires wingers with pace to burn and a nought-to-sixty akin to that of premium sports cars.

James looks to have a different dynamic to Giggs in that his fifth gear looks capable of putting most professionals in the shade. But he follows a long line of match-winning widemen who are capable of launching electric counter-attacks and overwhelming defences.



With Rashford and Anthony Martial already in the ranks, United are building up an explosive arsenal on the flanks that looks more than capable of appeasing the attacking cries of the Stretford End.

The tactical set-up
Solskjaer has shown himself to pragmatic in the opening few months of his tenure, underlined by his rotation between a 4-4-2, a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1.

His flexibility was key to the club's outstanding run of form when he took over from Jose Mourinho in December last year.



Nothing better summarises his willingness to adapt than United's memorable away win at PSG.

Saddled by injuries, Solskjaer deployed a lop-sided 4-4-2 with Eric Bailly at right-back. He was screened by Ashley Young in front of him, while Andreas Pereira, on the left wing, was given license to move into central areas. The result was a potent direct style that condensed central areas of the field, starving PSG's frontline. With Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford's pace, United managed to steal a remarkable win.

After his first 10 league games in charge, the stand-in manager had accrued the most points of any new Premier League coach, won the most consecutive matches in a row on the road of any United boss ever and hauled the Red Devils into Champions League contention.



But despite his early pragmatism, Solskjaer's new recruits imply that he is settling on a more consistent style of play, with a shape likely to reflect its major requirements.

And there could be significant implications for Paul Pogba - should he decide to stay.



The Frenchman's irrepressible form went hand-in-hand with United's improving results.

It wasn't just simply a case of removing Jose Mourinho from the equation that sparked the World Cup winner into life.



Solskjaer unchained Pogba by using Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera as a double pivot in midfield in some matches, while in others  - particularly if he fielded just two in midfielders in central areas - he would rely on Herrera to watch Pogba's back.

Whereas under Mourinho he found himself behind the ball in a rigid 4-2-3-1 (which often became a flat midfield five), the Frenchman was able to have a greater impact on matches under Solskjaer because he was not required to undertake the same defensive responsibilities.



The result was nine goals from Solskjaer's first 14 matches in charge.

His form dipped with the rest of the side as fitness levels waned - but also key was the absence of Herrera.

Of United's first 10 league games in which they went unbeaten, Herrera featured in nine of them. Of the wins, he featured in all of them.



But due to injury, he started one of club's remaining 11 games. United won just four.

Herrera's departure from Old Trafford poses a major headache, and with Pogba flirting heavily with Real Madrid, Solskjaer appears tempted to cut his losses.

Tactically, this could be for the better.



His new recruits indicate a sway towards ensuring wide players are given as much license to roam as possible, while his full-backs - and crucially his midfielders - are left to mop up in defence.

A 4-4-2 diamond, morphing also into a 4-3-3 with a more stable frontman, looks to be Solskjaer's formation of choice. The system demands all action from full-backs - which will be no issue for Wan-Bissaka - but also that their wingers are not expected to screen them.



Instead, the two central midfielders of the diamond, in front of the defensive pivot, are encouraged to push into wide areas to perform what would normally be a winger's defensive duty.



For Pogba, the implication could be that his restraints are reinstalled. Jesse Lingard's busy and enthusiastic style has seen him deployed behind the front two in a diamond shape, while in a traditional 4-3-3, Pogba would find himself tasked with defensive responsibility that appeared to hold him back under Mourinho.

It is unclear whether Pogba would want a more limited role, nor face the task of nursing his new young team-mates as they adapt to life at Old Trafford.

For Solskjaer, though, a higher work rate is an absolute must.



Critically underlying all of tactical planning, regardless of system, is a need for his players to be in far better shape than how he found them.

Time will tell whether that will be enough to restore United to the Premier League's top table.