Manchester United’s new manager, Jose Mourinho, will be officially unveiled this week. Mourinho, who has spent little more than a month in the job that he was linked with since December, has proved decisive in his transfer dealings. Mourinho has brought in Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

By acquiring a relatively unknown defender, an impressive midfielder with growing popularity and a proven competitor of the highest caliber, Mourinho’s transfer dealings mirror that of his predecessor’s last season. This time last year, United welcomed Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Like last season, it is the latter two that excites, but for different reasons. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin were brought in to provide defensive steel and experience to United’s midfield while Mkhitaryan and Ibrahimović are brought in to produce goals and add flair to United, major struggles for LVG side.

When Van Gaal’s signings arrived, there was uncertainty about how United would line up and where on the offensive-defensive axis United would find themselves. United were defensive and insisted on ball retention and slow build up as risk-minimizing strategies. This came at the expense of a long held tradition of relentless attack and boldness and ultimately paved the way for Van Gaal’s sacking.

Without intending to, Mourinho is not only informing us that United will be a break from the defensive tradition that has underpinned his recent managerial spells, but also that United will return to its tradition of attacking football.

Ibrahimović and Mkhitaryan combined for more goals than United managed all season in all competition. Ibrahimović’s scored more than United managed in the Premier League.

Like last season, United fans are debating squad selection and formation. United will most likely retain the 4-2-3-1 formation from last season. This was Mourinho’s preferred set up in his last two seasons at Chelsea.

Like last season, it is the midfield trio selection that is causing the most headache. In addition to Mkhitaryan, United has Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Memphis Depay, Anthony Martial, Adnan Januzaj, Anders Herrera, Andreas Pereira, and Maroune Fellaini who can play a role in that three.

Van Gaal was the master of squad rotation, at times forced by injuries and at times by ineptitude and a desire for experimentation. Why Mata was continuously overlooked for the no. 10 position or Jesse Lingard was chosen for that role in the closing stages of the season tops the list of questions for Van Gaal that will remain unexplained in a postmortem on the Dutch man’s time at Old Trafford.

If there is one certainty is it that Mkhitaryan will be used as a no. 10. This forces everyone to confront a question that has lingered since the day Mourinho was linked to the United job—the future of Juan Mata at Manchester United.

Mata was reduced to a bench warmer at Chelsea after Mourinho because of the Spaniard’s defensive deficiencies. It has been assumed that Mourinho’s arrival will mean the sale of Mata. With Mkhitaryan’s arrival, the possibility of Mata’s departure seems more likely. Zlatan has said he wants to wear the number 8 shirt, which also raises the possibility of Mata’s leaving. Mourinho has a history of handing out shirts to new arrivals. His decision to give Michael Ballack the number 13 shirt strained relations with William Gallas and eventually led the Frenchman to move to the Emirates.

There are rumours that Mata is being fancied by Everton.

Ibrahimović’s arrival also poses questions. One concerns the amount of playing time Marcus Rashford will see. Marcus blossomed at the end of last season and has been touted as the future of the club. Mourinho has had a problem of trusting youth and it would be interesting to see how Rashford fits in with his new manager’s plans.

Another question facing Mourinho is the deployment of Rooney. The Englishman has drifted a lot recently to accommodate other players and could see his role shift again with these new arrivals. Mourinho has openly expressed his admiration for Rooney, but whether that is enough to secure a regular starting berth given Rooney’s age and decline, remains to be seen.

Manchester United has made a big statement over the last few months and could make a few more in the coming weeks. United will be contenders again.

Mourinho’s spending is not over yet. He will be looking to strengthen his backline. There will also be a mass exodus. By the time Mourinho walks down the touchline, we might have a different United than the one that served under Van Gaal.