An intense away-day derby played in a cauldron of aggression and hostility. A depleted starting eleven missing the heartbeats of the team. A match only four days removed from a disappointing result midweek to the same opposition. It’s a selection of ingredients constituting a recipe which would almost certainly have derailed Manchester United last season and produced a painfully predictable result.

It’s a testament, therefore, to the evolution of the squad under the careful stewardship of Erik Ten Hag that United came away with a 2-0 win in a match which did not reflect the comfort of the scoreline. It represented a crucial three points, further strengthening the club’s stranglehold on top four qualification while putting a noisy rival to the sword.

Yet it was also a match which offered a template for transfer dealings this summer at Old Trafford; a window which will be heavily reliant on whether United secure this holy grail of Champions League qualification. Reports suggest the club has settled upon a goalkeeper, a central midfielder and, most pressingly, a centre forward as the primary targets for the summer. Ten Hag has confirmed he has identified ‘which profiles…could strengthen the squad’ and the match at Elland Road yesterday will have only served to compound these choices.

David De Gea demonstrated the full dichotomy of his skillset across the 90 minutes. Some excellent saves at crucial moments kept the score line level as pressure was building, particularly in the early stages of the second half. This enabled United to push for the win later in the game from a position of parity.

The pressure Leeds were able to exert was, however, driven, in part, by De Gea’s inability to play out from the back. While the Spaniard has demonstrated improvement in this regard he remains worlds away from the technical ability required to fully apply Ten Hag’s philosophy. De Gea also painted a tentative figure when dealing with crosses and corners; a more commanding goalkeeper would have helped dominate his box and potentially launch counter attacks to relieve pressure. Ranking in the bottom 4^th percentile for touches on the ball and 6^th percentile for crosses claimed amongst keepers in Europe’s top five leagues, the weaknesses displayed by De Gea yesterday were not isolated incidents. A new goalkeeper will further Ten Hag’s ability to implement the more proactive and suffocating style of football his Ajax team were famed for.

It is a style of football which undoubtedly requires a certain level of control from midfield as well. In the absence of Casemiro and Eriksen Ten Hag’s side were bereft of this requisite control of the ball yesterday, with United seemingly unable to penetrate the low-block tactic of Leeds nor influence the tempo of the game. Fred and Sabitzer offered energy and physicality off the ball but not enough quality on it; they appear players Ten Hag would classify as having similar profiles and, consequently, are a poor combination. The midfield battle yesterday gave PTSD flashbacks to the equally ill-fitting McFred double pivot of yesteryear.

In the press conference prior to the match the Dutch manager asserted his squad ‘lack quality’ and the depth in midfield is the area this statement feels most applicable. It explains the decision to target a central midfielder this summer and the long-standing pursuit of Frenkie De Jong offers insight into the profile Ten Hag desires. A midfielder who offers the physical qualities of Fred, Sabitzer and McTominay, while possessing the technical ability and invention of Eriksen, appears the target to play alongside Casemiro. This addition to the midfield will help to buttress the defence while providing greater service to the forward line.

Which brings us finally to the priority this summer – a number nine. Anthony Martial has exhibited a renewed level of performance under Ten Hag with the Dutch manager describing the forward as the correct profile for his philosophy:

‘…in my way of playing, I like the type that Anthony Martial is because he can hold the ball, he’s a target, he can link up, he can also run behind, he has speed, he can finish and he’s a good presser.’

Injuries, however, have curtailed Martial’s season. The French striker has been consistently ruled out through a variety of maladies, missing 21 games in the process. It forced United’s hand in January with a loan deal hastily agreed for Wout Weghorst to provide a more consistent alternative for Ten Hag. The club’s transfer mantra this season appears to be ‘Go Dutch’.

Weghorst has certainly demonstrated some of the abilities his manager demands, as well as the desire to play at Old Trafford which will always please fans, but he fundamentally lacks the quality to lead the line for United. His best moment yesterday came after being moved into the number ten position behind Marcus Rashford, providing an incisive pass for Garnacho’s goal. Weghorst was wholly anonymous in the number nine position prior to this. One goal in seven games suggests this anonymity is not uncommon in the Dutch forward’s early United career thus far. A new centre forward with quality who is available every game will prove transformative for Ten Hag’s title pursuits; the difference between United being title pretenders and title contenders.

The attitude and mentality displayed in the win at Elland Road will have pleased United’s manager greatly. But the deficiencies on display hindering the performance will have both confirmed the necessity for investment in the summer and the areas of the pitch this investment need occur. Warren Buffet once concisely remarked that ‘Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree long ago.’ The identification of the correct profile of player in the requisite position, and the preparation for a transfer, at the midway point of this season will ensure Ten Hag is sitting in the shade next season. Let’s get planting.

Darragh Fox