Adnan Januzaj, keepers and Van Gaal’s great Man United gambles paying off – for now

United post successive clean sheets with Uefa Champions League play-off against Club Brugge in store

Manchester United's Adnan Januzaj, left, celebrates with teammate Luke Shaw after scoring during the English Premier League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham, Britain, on August 14Show more

Louis van Gaal possesses an enduring ability to surprise and a bottomless reservoir of self-confidence.

Twice in as many days, the Manchester United manager confounded expectations.

On the first occasion, many felt he was wrong. On the second, Van Gaal’s decision carried the implication that he had concluded he had made an error, yet, even when he was wrong, he was proved right.

Some 29 hours before kick off at Villa Park and obscured by a controversialist’s remarkable claim that David de Gea had said he did not want to play for United, Van Gaal had insisted Adnan Januzaj was not for sale.

If the Belgian soon illustrated why he was not surplus to requirements, so did the Dutchman by selecting him.

Within half an hour of being on the pitch on Friday, he was a scorer – in a blow to both Aston Villa, whose defence was breached for the first time this season, and Sunderland, who had hoped to gain the 20-year-old forward on loan.

It represented a volte face as, for the second successive year, Van Gaal’s preseason planning required an early rethink in the campaign.

Memphis Depay started every warm-up match as a No 10, but after an unconvincing outing last week against Tottenham Hotspur, the experiment was aborted.

The Dutchman was restored to the left-wing role where he proved prolific for PSV Eindhoven last season and immediately looked more at home.

He should have opened his United account when Juan Mata found him sprinting through the inside-left channel, but the shot was steered wide. It did show that Depay was darting into dangerous positions.

While he returned to an old beat, Januzaj, who had started just seven of Van Gaal’s first 39 league games, was unexpectedly installed as Wayne Rooney’s sidekick and his goal was his first since David Moyes’s reign.

It required a deflection off Ciaran Clark, but was nonetheless taken with admirable poise after a sharp turn in the box.

It was a reward for direct running, both on and off the ball. He was more dynamic and incisive than Rooney, which gave United a man with the deceptive menace to pick a pass and Mata duly found Januzaj.

Others lacked his composure in possession in a disjointed United display, pockmarked by poor passes.

After an hour, Van Gaal removed his scorer and his vice captain, Michael Carrick, sending on Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ander Herrera in the search for control.

Villa, who had been more vibrant, were quelled and Van Gaal, once again, could argue he was right.

United now top the Premier League for the first time in his tenure, but that is aided by a quirk of the fixture list and their position is more impressive than their performances.

Bold as Van Gaal’s thinking is, his side have produced precious little evidence of a master plan. Rather the 64-year-old Dutchman is relying on his tweaks to work, as they did at Villa Park.

A more overarching decision came before the season’s start: to dispense with De Gea.

Exiling the best goalkeeper in the Premier League of the past season and, seemingly, trying to end his United career when the club are content to keep the Spaniard for a further year, amounts to a doubly risky strategy – and proof positive of Van Gaal's belief.

Deputising for De Gea, Sergio Romero kept a second successive clean sheet, having saved Gabriel Agbonlahor’s header, but then a World Cup finalist ought to.

While his distribution shows signs that he is yet to establish an understanding with his defence, he has not been truly ­tested.

Van Gaal’s great gamble has yet to backfire, but his every move is assuming an importance.

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