As Manchester United prepare to open their Premier League campaign at Hull City on Saturday, new head coach Michael Carrick is attempting to reshape the club's identity by returning to a more attacking, front-footed style of football.
When asked about his footballing philosophy, Carrick made his priorities clear. "First and foremost, we want to win," he said, before adding: "we want to be excited - that's why we love this club. I'm fully aware that we need to do it in a certain way." His comments echo those of former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who once remarked that United have "a duty to entertain" given the expectations of their supporters.
After a series of managers attempted to install a slower, possession-based approach that never quite fit the club's traditions, Carrick appears determined to build a system rooted in what many describe as United's attacking DNA. Pre-season matches have offered early clues as to how his vision might take shape.
In build-up play, United have adopted a 4-2-4 structure, with goalkeeper Senne Lammens positioned between the two central defenders to help progress the ball from deep. This marks a departure from the approach under predecessor Ruben Amorim, who often instructed his goalkeeper to play long balls to avoid the risks associated with pressing traps. Carrick, by contrast, is encouraging his side to embrace that risk in search of more fluid, front-footed football.
Rather than relying on rehearsed passing sequences, United's players have been coached to escape opposition pressure through small clusters of three, combining in a less structured, more instinctive manner. Central to this idea is the concept of the "third-man run," where players make blindside movements to receive possession in space. New midfield additions such as Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Mason Mount have featured prominently in this build-up play, alongside Kobbie Mainoo, who made his return from injury with a substitute appearance in United's 4-2 pre-season defeat to AC Milan.
That Milan defeat, however, exposed some of the growing pains associated with Carrick's approach. With Bruno Fernandes, Tielemans and Santos operating together in midfield, United at times struggled to retain possession, playing forward too hastily and surrendering the ball cheaply. Carrick's challenge will be to encourage vertical, incisive passing while avoiding needless turnovers that could leave his team exposed.
Out of possession, United have also pressed high using the same 4-2-4 framework, condensing space centrally and inviting opponents into wider areas, which Carrick and many coaches consider less dangerous. The setup is also designed to support rapid transitions - when United win the ball high up the pitch, they can immediately spring forward with four attackers in advantageous positions. This approach proved effective in a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain during pre-season, when a swift press led directly to an equaliser scored by Bryan Mbeumo after United created a four-against-four opportunity in the final third.
Not all opponents have struggled to cope, though. Milan demonstrated a potential blueprint for nullifying United's press by deploying a 5-2-3 shape, dropping their wing-backs deep and stretching United's full-backs across large distances before playing around their pressure. How Carrick adapts to such counters will likely shape United's defensive solidity throughout the season.
Ultimately, the central question facing Carrick's Manchester United is whether they can move beyond reliance on counter-attacking football - which served them well at times last season - and develop the game management required to control matches for longer periods. Previous managers, including Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, encountered similar struggles in trying to strike that balance. How Carrick navigates this challenge could define the trajectory of United's campaign.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.