Erik ten Hag is beginning to suggest he has several clues for reviving Manchester United after their remarkable resurgence from two opening defeats to four wins on the bounce, culminating with Sunday’s emphatic 3-1 victory over Arsenal.
To be inside Old Trafford was to experience the stadium in a rare jubilant mood as United enthusiasts witnessed their team put away the league leaders and end the contest at a canter.
The prevailing sense was of surprise at a memory: that this is how it felt during the golden years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign and that feeling may be starting to become present again.
There is no rush to declare Ten Hag’s new team as even close to the finished article – a pointthe Dutchman was shrewd enough to make emphatically afterwards.