Plenty of players are still trying to understand Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system at Manchester United, but the changes from the Erik ten Hag era haven't unsettled everyone.
If there is one position on the pitch where the alterations are more minimal, it is centre-back, which in theory is where the numbers change, going from two players to three. But even under Ten Hag, United would often build up in a back three, and the differences aren't particularly pronounced.
The full-backs at Old Trafford are finding it difficult to convert to wing-backs. The attacking players are struggling with the demands of a No. 10 role for Amorim and the strikers are getting no service and not enjoying the thankless running involved. But at centre-back, the process of adapting has been more routine.
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It does help that United have experienced players in defence. Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt both have extensive experience of playing in a back three and a back four. Lisandro Martinez has spent time as a defensive midfielder and is comfortable in the areas of the pitch he was being asked to play.
Luke Shaw might remain an absentee, but his experience shows that position differences aren't always problematic. He has excelled as a centre-back and a full-back in a flat-back four and as a centre-back and a wing-back in a back three.
So perhaps it isn't surprising that defenders have looked most comfortable during Amorim's patchy United reign. Maguire has done well under the head coach, and De Ligt has had games in which he has also excelled.
The Dutchman might have produced his best performance for the club in Sunday's FA Cup tie with Fulham. De Ligt struggled physically from midway through the second half but defended brilliantly throughout the game. He showed he understood the system's demands, regularly stepping forward to mark his man and often being dragged in front of Bruno Fernandes.
The former Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich centre-back was aggressive with and without the ball and was unfortunate to end up on the losing side. With Maguire forced off at the end of the 90 minutes and Martinez a long-term absentee, Amorim will be desperate for De Ligt to shake off the issue affecting him against the Cottagers.
Signed by Ten Hag for a fee rising to £42.7million in the summer, the 25-year-old continued a tradition of the former manager bringing in players he was familiar with. Ten Hag made De Ligt his captain at Ajax when the defender was still a teenager, but in Turin and Munich, his career had stalled and the deal wasn't without its risks.
De Ligt hasn't been faultless at United this season and has been criticised for passive defending a couple of times recently, but his performance against Fulham showed Amorim has the players to work with at the back. Keep De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez and Leny Yoro fit and that is a good quartet, with Ayden Heaven, Noussair Mazraoui and Shaw also potential options there.
When fit and available, De Ligt has been used in all but two games by Amorim. He remained an unused substitute in the Premier League defeat at Wolves and the FA Cup win against Leicester City. This shows his importance at the moment. If he can shake off the exhaustion from Sunday, he will be a guaranteed starter in the biggest game of the season so far on Thursday night, when United travel to Spain to face Real Sociedad.
It shouldn't be surprising that De Ligt has looked comfortable in a three-man defence, having played there for the Netherlands, Juventus, and Bayern. Just before Amorim took over, he explained how the system isn't necessarily that important.
"I think a back three or a back four, it’s in general the same, the only thing of importance is how the team is set up," he said. "You can play in a back three but if everything is not compact and everybody is doing their own job then it’s going to be really difficult, the same in a back four.
"That’s going to be the biggest challenge for the trainers, to get everyone on the same wavelength and same page to improve as a team and improve as players."
There has been no sign of that improvement in Amorim's 24 games so far, but in De Ligt, he does at least have a player who can clearly form part of this team going forward.
