Manchester United have lifted the mood and now need two key signings to lift the team

Erik ten Hag was still in the air, somewhere over the Arabian Sea in the wee hours of Monday morning, when he accessed the airline WiFi and emailed those present on the Manchester United tour, conveying his gratitude for their engagement the last two weeks.

Ten Hag expressed empathy with those who had spent nearly three weeks away from their family and loved ones. United staff encountered that warm side to Ten Hag during their Sunday off in Melbourne.

The new United manager has the human touch and those at the club will hope he has the Midas touch. United have two more friendlies to play this weekend but it has been a propitious pre-season of four games, three wins, one draw and 13 goals.

Also read: United weighing up Sesko move

Everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet: the players have welcomed Ten Hag's discipline and punctual timekeeping. It was telling that when the punitive push-ups were ordered in training at the WACA the only player who refused to participate was Aaron Wan-Bissaka, deemed surplus months ago.

Any new manager needs time and the best method to buy time is to get the team playing watchable football. One of the few guarantees with Ten Hag is United would play progressively and they did so from Bangkok to Perth, via Melbourne. The players, encumbered by dismal coaching and certain selfish teammates last season, have adapted commendably.

"We needed more culture, a better culture of football, of just thinking about football, nothing else," David de Gea told us in Perth. "With a new manager, we are in a good way. For sure, he is very focused on football and [that is] what we need and the players feel the same, so I have good feelings."

The squad numbers assigned to Lisandro Martinez and Christian