Back to basics bolsters United

United’s ability to adapt following adversity is again paying dividends, according to the club’s longest-serving player.

The Reds have now racked up five consecutive wins and haven’t conceded a goal since the dramatic late collapse against Manchester City, 450 minutes of football ago. Ryan Giggs says this improvement on the defensive side of the game owes something to a change of style.

“We’ve gone back to basics and defended really well since City,” Giggs told MUTV after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Swansea.

“It wasn’t just the goals against City [that concerned us], it was also the chances that were being created against us in the other games.

“Our opponents were getting too many chances and our new goalkeeper, David De Gea, was having far too many shots to save.

“Solidity is something we have always prided ourselves on, at the back and throughout the team really.

“Swansea played some great football against us and kept the ball well, but they didn’t really hurt us. It was a tough game for our midfielders and forwards but at the back we defended well and they didn’t have many chances.”

United didn’t create many chances either, but Giggs says the Reds have just the man for the job when goals are demanded from a drip-drip supply line.

“When Chicharito’s on the pitch you know that if you put a ball in a certain area he’s going to be there. And more often than not he’s going to put it away.

"It was great for me to set up the goal, and for us to win in my first-ever league game in Wales."