And you think anyone from United roster is capable to excel in this yeah? Or even the supposed subject of the thread, Timber?
Well, I applaud your optimism.
I happen to think otherwise.
From what I have seen, Timber's forward venture has been sporadic without strategic intent.
Normally he sees no forward putting pressure and a small gap and he makes a run for it (he's rather rapid).
He often reach final third but the whole attacking setup might not be ready to capitalize.
Under ten Hag I do believe Timber can play that role. Because he's already shown that he can perform within the positional play principles. He's still only 21 years of age and is good on the ball.
And him going forward is fine as long as someone else occupies the vacated space. And that is taught on the training ground.
Unfortunately for Ajax, they hired Schreuder to succeed ten Hag and his coaching left a lot to be desired which affected the team as a collective.
This is a simple concept that is complicated by people. And it's a concept that first appeared on the world stage under Rinus Michels and then Cruyff, who brought the idea to Barcelona. And the quote below basically sums up my thoughts on the subject of positional play. Let's not complicate things.
What is Positional Play
"Today on the internet it seems that many coaches enjoy complicating the game. When you click on to read explanations of the most simple of subjects often you will be greeted by complicated explanations and diagrams that can easily bamboozle people who don’t have much coaching experience or knowledge. Recently we came across one such article that made Positional Play seem like the most complicated of topics. The truth is that positional play is not complicated at all in terms of description. Granted, there are many facets to this style of play and so many breakdowns within positions, but when simply explaining positional play and what it is, that should never seem complicated."
https://keepitonthedeck.com/blog/2021/5/8/positional-play-simplified