What is Van Gaal's Utd philosophy? Paddy McNair may have the answer

From week to week, there's no hint of what performance they will produce on matchday. This is especially strange given that Louis van Gaal, of all people, is the Premier League manager most explicit about his philosophy, which he refers to as passionately as Martin Luther King did his dream. Yet, from game to game, Manchester United are unrecognisable from their previous outing. If there is indeed a philosophy, where is it?

In some respects, this is an unfair question. Van Gaal is currently presiding over one of the most patchwork squads in the club's history, which is also going through a startling run of injuries, most of which are the result of misfortune -- awkward landings and late tackles -- rather than any obvious flaws in his coaching methods.

Yet all the same, let us consider this disarray. It is almost as ill-balanced a squad as Real Madrid's in 2004, when players such as Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo rubbed shoulders with Francisco Pavon and Thomas Gravesen. Now, as in Madrid in 2004, there is a brilliant young Spanish goalkeeper patiently dealing with all that this mess throws at him: for Iker Casillas then, read David De Gea now, who has already produced superb showings against Everton and Arsenal.

Van Gaal's defence should be accompanied by a set of revolving doors: From game to game, it is not clear who will be in it, less so if it will even be a back four. Luke Shaw looks set to be out for several weeks and Reece James has just gone on loan to Rotherham, meaning that Ashley Young is the club's only remaining left-sided defender. Yes, Ashley Young.

Now and then, Young may exchange furtive glances with Antonio Valencia, who, like him, was once one of the most reliable assist providers in the Premier League. Also like him, he is now effectively providing defensive spare parts on the other flank. The team's three senior centre-backs, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans, are so rarely available at the same time that Van Gaal wisely brought in reinforcements -- but their replacements, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo, are injured.

It is as if their rivals have well-crafted voodoo dolls of all Old Trafford personnel. Through all these scenes, chaotic as the Black Friday sales, Paddy McNair has sauntered to claim a place in the team. And it is in him, finally, that we begin to see consistent traces of Van Gaal's philosophy, which was most visible for much of the preseason and then fleetingly, thrillingly, in that first half against Leicester. We see elegant ball-playing, bravery, acceleration and a willingness to get forward. We see tactical intelligence and every now and then, a little toughness.

It is logical that the young players whom Van Gaal has promoted have previously signified the team he wants to build. They, after all, are the future. At Bayern Munich, he brought Thomas Muller to the fore, with the famous insistence that "Muller always plays." Even though Jones and Evans will soon return to fitness, it may well be the case that Van Gaal will one day decide that his best central defence is McNair plus one other.

It is also easy to imagine a scenario where, fairly soon, almost none of the squad's biggest names are regular starters. Robin van Persie, for all his superb finishing ability, does not offer the pace on the break that would make the team as devastating as the very best.

Speed is the hallmark of the game's very best forward lines and all of the top teams have it. In the immediate future in this 3-5-2 formation, the most potent attack in this regard might actually be Wayne Rooney and Angel Di Maria, supported by a midfield of Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick. Neither Carrick nor Fellaini press the ball much, but they can provide a decent defensive screen, allowing Herrera to step forward and link the play with the front two.

That, of course, is bad news for Juan Mata, who just does not seem to fit within this configuration. A fine player as he is, he seems to represent the squad's past, not its future, having been signed with no apparent sense of where he would play. Meanwhile the fate of Falcao, what with his recent ailments, is still firmly in the envelope marked "wait and see."

The development of Adnan Januzaj also will be something to keep an eye on, because he has all of McNair's qualities but for the time being, less of the confidence. He has probably been the victim of over-inflated expectations, given his role in frequently bailing out his side at the beginning of last season. His qualities would probably be seen best either side of a central striker in a 3-4-3 or 4-3-3, and it is not until Van Gaal adds a forceful central midfielder to his squad that we are likely to see that.

So, to the question of where exactly Van Gaal's philosophy may be. The answer is "it's on the way." If they can secure the services of Roma's Kevin Strootman, who has recently returned to action if not full fitness, then they will be a team transformed.

United also have the fortune to be going through this transition at a time when many of their closest rivals are doing the same, and for all this turmoil are still somehow fourth in the league. Though he must yet deal with the prospects of both further bad news from the club doctor and the unsettling of several superstars' egos, Van Gaal's plan is in progress.