Owen Hargreaves spots Erik ten Hag's tactical tweak in Manchester United vs Omonia Nicosia

Former midfielder Owen Hargreaves honed in on the way full-backs Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia moved into midfield during the first half of Manchester United's clash with Omonia Nicosia on Thursday evening.

In a largely uneventful first 45 minutes of United's first home game for more than a month, both Dalot and Malacia, when the home side were in possession of the ball, moved inside to try to create a midfield overload. It is a tactic that has crept into United's play in recent weeks.

However, it was a particularly obvious instruction that United manager Erik ten Hag had given the duo on Thursday evening. Malacia was often in midfield, as opposed to being in his natural left-back habitat.

READ MORE: Manchester United vs Omonia Nicosia LIVE

Dalot, also moved inside, looking to create an overload and drag Omonia players with him, all in an attempt to leave Antony with more space to work in on the right-hand side. Although it has been a common trait in United's play in recent weeks, Hargreaves felt it was, for the first time, blindingly obvious.

"We haven't really seen that," Hargreaves told BT Sport. "I think he [Ten Hag] has done it previously at Ajax.

"But the full-backs are coming inside and we see it from Pep [Guardiola] and his teams, and United are doing it today. It's not just Dalot, by the way, who is a great passer, it's Malacia as well; he's always in the centre of midfield.

"He gets inside and eventually goes outside, back to his natural position. He's looking to overload inside so they can get a numerical advantage."

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