Erik ten Hag is keeping his Bayern Munich promise at Manchester United

Manchester United moved to within a point of the top four on Sunday evening, registering a hard-fought 1-0 win over West Ham United at Old Trafford.

Marcus Rashford, who will have aspirations of being included in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the World Cup, netted his 100th goal in United colours to seal the points, powering an emphatic header past Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. Although his seventh goal of the season was enough to seal a second successive Premier League home win for United, they rode their luck in the second half.

David de Gea produced a glut of saves to keep United's lead intact, including two stunning stops to deny Kurt Zouma and Declan Rice. The Reds, not for the first time in recent weeks, had to dig deep to get the job done and record a maximum haul of points.

It was similar to when they had to put their bodies on the line to keep Everton out in the dying minutes of their 2-1 win at Goodison Park just over three weeks ago. United had a lead to protect and it required Erik ten Hag's players to roll up their sleeves and see the job through.

Forward players have been required to track back and support defenders in those scenarios, pointing to the collective responsibility Ten Hag has installed. On the flip side, defensive players have supported the attackers in attacking scenarios.

The likes of Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw, who operate in the full-back roles, have been tasked with getting forward as much as possible, particularly the former, while the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro, whose main duties are to defend and keep the back door shut, have played progressive, forward-thinking passes to get United high up the pitch. But this ought not to be a surprise to anyone watching United, such is Ten Hag's determination to play this way.

During his time at Ajax, the Dutchman, who will take his side to Spain to face Real Sociedad in a crunch Europa League clash later this week, opened up on his footballing philosophy, which was inspired by Pep Guardiola, with whom he worked with at Bayern Munich. Ten Hag detailed how he is focused on bossing possession and everyone attacking and defending as one unit.

Speaking back in April 2019, Ten Hag told SZ: "I watch Bayern play every weekend. Bayern have become my club. Since Pep [worked in Germany], football in Germany is different.

"I looked at almost every training back then, and I took a lot of methodical lessons on how to transfer his philosophy to the pitch. I want to have possession and hurt the opponent.

"It's about possession, about movement, about vertical attacking patterns, about pressing, wingers moving into the middle to make room for the full-backs. Everyone is attacking, everyone is defending."

Ten Hag, right from the outset of his United premiership, has frequently spoken about wanting to control games and be the orchestrators. But as the second half against West Ham showed, United are going to encounter situations where they will not be allowed to do that, instead being forced to soak up pressure and play differently.

But, as Ten Hag once referred to in a different interview, he is happy to adapt his style in certain situations - something that has shone through so far this season.

"No, because there's moments and situations where I coach differently and let my team play differently," the Dutchman said in an interview with Ajax TV, answering a question about always wanting to be an 'extremely attack-minded coach'.

"It has to fit the DNA of Ajax. It might be different at another club, but even Ajax have to master different strategies in order to be successful."

The opening months of the season have proven that United will, in Ten Hag's own words, have to 'master different strategies'. They have won in a variety of different ways and that has only provided proof that the Dutchman has drilled his demands into his players.

For instance, the wins over Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur were a result of playing with high intensity, dominating throughout and never once looking in danger. By contrast, the wins over the likes of Everton, Southampton and West Ham, all of which were secured by a one-goal margin, required United to dig deep and be professional.

United's supporters are seeing evidence of Ten Hag's philosophy, in the sense that the Reds are being progressive and wanting to play a good brand of football. But they are also witnessing proof that Ten Hag has the ability to be flexible to manage games and get the job done.