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Manchester United will head into the October international break five games without a win but they earned a creditable point at Villa Park in a dire game.

Erik ten Hag has been under incessant pressure this week but draws away at Porto and Aston Villa might just have bought him some more time. After the chaotic game at the Estadio do Dragao this was far more mundane but the defensive set-up also blunted United's attacking threat.

With Sir Jim Ratcliffe watching on United's leadership team will now hold a scheduled meeting in London where progress on the pitch is likely to be discussed. The team have won just three of their 11 fixtures this season and are 14th in the Premier League.

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Evans states his case

There was more than £200m in centre-backs in the United squad at Aston Villa but it was the one signed on a free transfer that stood out and continues to look like the best defender available to Ten Hag.

Jonny Evans is into his second season back at Old Trafford and on the evidence so far there is a strong case to be made that he should be in the team. He defended superbly at Villa Park, making countless clearances, putting his body on the line and displaying a positional intelligence lacking from some of his colleagues recently.

It was a surprise to see the 36-year-old on the teamsheet and certainly a bold call from Ten Hag, but Evans repaid him and his experience is invaluable. It has felt like United were lacking leaders recently and Evans fixes that. He has been at the club previously and he understands the pressures that come with playing for United.

Selection speaks volumes

Ten Hag is preaching rotation this season but there is no denying that it wasn't a great look that on a day when he would have known he was under immense pressure, he left so many of his big signings on the bench.

The Dutchman started five of his signings at Villa Park but seven of the nine replacements had been signed on his watch at a cost of a little over £330m. It was a staggering statistic and showed that he still hasn't managed to find an XI he is happy with this season. Too many questions remain unanswered.

Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez have been signed to form a partnership but have looked anything but so far. Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte cost nearly £120m, are the only two holding players in the squad and neither started in a tough away game.

It's clear Casemiro is no longer trusted to start in these games but Ugarte has had a slow start to life at Old Trafford since his move from Paris Saint-Germain and he has failed to displace Christian Eriksen in midfield. He needs to show more with the ball to force his way into this side.

Right now it's impossible to call what Ten Hag's best team is and that isn't a compliment to the competition for places. It says more about the uncertainty surrounding so many players.

Dalot's attacking role

Ten Hag explained this week why he is continuing to pick Diogo Dalot as his out-of-position full-back rather than Noussair Mazraoui and it was noticeable at Villa Park that he had a much more involved role in the attack.

Dalot has often drifted into midfield during United's build-up this season and while he did that again on occasion, he also took up very attacking positions high and wide on the left. That meant Evans drifting to left-back and Marcus Rashford moving infield.

There was a fluidity to United's attacks down the left that wasn't really visible on the right. It's a conundrum for United that while this flank is a weakness for them defensively, it is also their best route to goals themselves.

Attacking balance

Once again Marcus Rashford was United's most threatening attacker in a game and right now he looks like the player this forward line needs to be calibrated around.

It is an area yet to click consistently this season and getting the balance has been difficult. Joshua Zirkzee has linked play without looking like a natural goalscorer. Rasmus Hojlund scored on his first start in midweek but his hold-up play was poor against Aston Villa and he had a difficult time against the physicality of Diego Carlos.

Alejandro Garnacho is a bigger threat on the left than the right and Amad has gone off the boil in the last few weeks. Rashford was bright again and he had the beating of Matty Cash. He forced two good saves from Emiliano Martinez by cutting in from the left and firing shots at goal.

He also got booked just before the hour and then got away with a blatant foul on Leon Bailey just a couple of minutes later. Had there been more time between the transgressions then he might have been sent off. It left Ten Hag with little option but to withdraw him at the same time as Hojlund.

It meant a new look front three, with Garnacho to the left, Antony on the right and Zirkzee through the middle.

Nothing to see here

United scored twice inside 20 minutes on Thursday but there was still an argument that structurally this was the best start to a game they had made this week.

The opening exchanges were noticeable for how little was actually happening. It was very similar to the first half against Brighton, an entirely forgettable 45 minutes but also a half when United were never really stretched.

Given the attacking threat Villa pose it was exactly how they would have wanted to start the game. Ollie Watkins could barely get on the ball and United looked comfortable. That never changed.