It's great watching a United side playing with such fluency and creativity, a side so clearly enjoying its football with a constant emphasis on going forward with relentless attacking flair.
No, I've not finally lost it. I speak of course of Manchester United Under-21s, a group of footballers playing with a style that does justice to the shirts they wear. Their victory over Sunderland on Monday night was their sixth on the run and, although this time it came courtesy of a single James Weir goal, the style was very much in the spirit of a series of five games that had seen them score a total of 19 goals.
The Reds now find themselves only three points behind runaway leaders Sunderland, who at one stage looked set to have the league title sealed by now. Crucially, United also have three games in hand and now look well placed to retain the trophy they secured last season.
The big mystery is why a side that plays in precisely the same formation as the senior eleven has managed to avoid the tactical straight jacket that has made the first team so dour, predictable, easy to play against and excruciatingly dull to watch. Perhaps it's the lack of pressure at this level. But perhaps it's more than that.
Throughout the last few seasons, with the first team going through such a painful transition, their younger colleagues have rarely dipped under the management of Warren Joyce, a true unsung hero at United. If his team go on to lift the trophy this season, that will mean we'll have been champions in three of the four seasons since the competition was re-vamped. We won two of the last three of the old Premier Reserve League competitions too, meaning victory this season will see his side crowned champions at this level for five of the previous seven campaigns. It's quite a record, especially when the nature of the role means he constantly has to deal with a fluctuating squad, with players often sent out on loan or enjoying a temporary run with the seniors. To keep a consistent run going in that situation requires genuine managerial skills.
So am I suggesting Joyce as a serious replacement for Van Gaal? Probably not, but I bet I'm not the only one at Leigh Sports village this season to have allowed the thought to cross my mind.
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