How have Manchester United turned things around?

Robin van Persie has looked more like his old self in recent games

Manchester United have apparently turned things around. I must've missed that but maybe Alex Johnson can tell us all how things have changed for the Old Trafford club...

Manchester United head coach Louis van Gaal is confident his improving side are edging nearer to the top teams in the Premier League.

The Dutchman has pointed to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea and a narrow 1-0 derby defeat to Manchester City as evidence of an upturn in performance, with the Red Devils having lost once in five games since their ignominious 5-3 defeat at Leicester City in late September.

Van Gaal, far from being downbeat after the loss to the Citizens on Sunday which left his side 13 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea, was pleased with the way his players have responded since being humbled by the Foxes.

He told reporters after the derby reverse: "We are very close. You saw it against Chelsea and now against Manchester City - they are the two best clubs in this league and the difference is zero I think.

"In spite of all the injuries we are very close, but we have to make steps to improve. We need more points."

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So, the Dutchman is content with the way things are going, despite an injury crisis in defence which has left him short of options, with summer signing Marcos Rojo the latest casualty with a dislocated shoulder.

So where is the evidence to back up Van Gaal's claim that United are close to being back among the elite in English football and what changes has he made since Leicester recorded a famous victory?

The most obvious difference has been the abandonment of a five-man defence, which Van Gaal also tinkered with at the World Cup while in charge of the Netherlands.

The opening game of the season, which ended in a 2-1 home defeat to Swansea City, saw Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett deployed in central roles, with Ashley Young and Juan Mata somewhat bizarrely used in wing-back roles.

However, that experiment lasted only a couple of games longer, before the more usual back four returned, with players now used in more familiar roles and looking far more certain, if you forget all about the Leicester debacle.

Summer signing Luke Shaw, whose fitness had been questioned on his arrival from Southampton and World Cup duty, came in for his debut in the 2-1 win over West Ham in late September and while the 27million recruit has not been at his best, he does offer a solid presence at left-back.

The selection of Shaw also allowed the combative Rojo to play in a more central role, in which he started to impress before being struck down by injury at the weekend.

The reversion to a four-man defence also meant that an extra body was moved into midfield and the deadline day capture of Daley Blind from Ajax has helped bring improvement in that area too.

The Dutchman, well known to Van Gaal, can also play in defence, so is ideally suited to the task of sitting in front of the back four and offering protection which was notable by its absence in the early weeks of the campaign.

And the midfield will also be bolstered by the return to fitness of Michael Carrick, who had to be used in defence against City following the injury to Rojo and the sending-off of Smalling, while Spain international Ander Herrera will also be back shortly, having been arguably United's best player in their opening few games.

Another player who has forced his way into the side after a dismal first season at Old Trafford is Marouane Fellaini, who is just starting to show signs of returning to the sort of form which made him such a big success at Everton, meaning that the United midfield has a physical presence to be reckoned with.

Mata remains something of an enigma and he may well be the man to give way when compatriot Herrera returns, especially as Adnan Januzaj has joined Fellaini in forcing his way back into the starting line-up.

So, with selection worries aplenty in defence, Van Gaal has a wealth of options in midfield, while in attack he has the luxury of at least four world-class players to choose from.

And perhaps one of the reasons why the Dutch coach is optimistic, ignoring his usually high levels of self-confidence, is that his much-vaunted attack has yet to fire as it should.

Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney have both netted three times in the Premier League so far this season, while big-name loan signing Radamel Falcao has just one goal so far in an injury-hit time in England.

There is much more to come in that area you would think, which brings us to the biggest factor in an upturn in performance from United which has seen them defeat West Ham and Everton and secure draws with West Brom and Chelsea before they were beaten by City.

The 59.7million British record signing of Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid raised eyebrows in some quarters, but the talented and versatile Argentina international has already shown that he is the sort of X-Factor player who can lift any side.

True, he was involved at Leicester, but his influence can be seen both on the pitch and off, with the Old Trafford faithful full of expectation when the South American is on the ball, with Di Maria having already scored three times for his new club.

Di Maria is also prepared to track back and that always goes down well with United fans who are not only used to success, but are also aware that it comes through a mountain of hard work, which has been epitomised in recent times by now captain Rooney.

So Van Gaal may well have a point and it is clear that things are just starting to fall into place more than was evident in the traumatic opening weeks of the season, which also saw United thrashed 4-0 in the Capital One Cup by MK Dons.

And with a rare absence of Champions League football at the club this season, Van Gaal will get additional time to spend with this players on the training pitch, a factor which helped Liverpool last season and could be decisive in the hopes of United securing a top-four finish and making a return to the game's elite, both at home and in Europe.