Tyrell Malacia signing indicates new Manchester United style of play that Cristiano Ronaldo will love

Manchester United fans are overjoyed that their club are on the verge of finally signing their first player of the window.

Tyrell Malacia’s acquisition was seemingly wrapped up fairly rapidly, but in reality it will have been far from a quick buy. Erik ten Hag has had months to form his United plan and the left-back fits into it perfectly.

During his 18 months or so at Ajax, his teams consisted of attacking from wide areas, which meant driving wingers - such as Hakim Ziyech - and overlapping full-backs. This ultimately changed as the years went by, but he lifted the Eredivisie title in his first full season, also coming within seconds of the Champions League final.

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And his signing of Malacia indicates that he could begin life at Old Trafford in the same fashion. The marauding 22-year-old loves to bomb forward and grabbed four assists last season. It’s fair to say Luke Shaw isn’t known for his persistent forward abilities, even if he did fire home England’s goal in the Euro 2020 final. Malacia outpaces both he and backup left-back Alex Telles.

The pursuit of Jurrien Timber, albeit now reportedly stagnant, is surrounded with rumours that he would be used as a right-back initially. This would further indicate his forward defensive intentions. It also gives a solid reason why United are willing to listen to offers for Brandon Williams and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. All this is good news for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 37-year-old striker is fulfilling the role of a poacher with every year that passes. And he’s good at it too, firing in 24 goals last year - 20 of them from within the area.

If Ten Hag does adopt a strategy that