United got the 2024-25 Premier League season underway at home to Fulham, struggling to break down a resilient away defence while also looking vulnerable at the other end.
The likes of Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee were two of the new signings on show at Old Trafford, with Emile Smith Rowe lining up for Fulham following his move from Arsenal.
And it was Zirkzee's involvement that caused a stir inside the ground, with the forward being shown what appeared to be his role during a defensive set-piece prior to his introduction.
The Sky Sports cameras zoomed in on the pitchside device, showing United's tactics with half-an-hour left in the game.
Zirkzee was shown what appeared to be a defensive corner set-up before being introduced on the hour mark
Zirkzee was introduced with around 30 minutes left, coming on for Mason Mount, while Alejandro Garnacho was also introduced in place of Amad Diallo.
Normally when players are substituted on, they will be shown their roles on set-pieces, and it was no difference for forward Zirkzee on Friday.
Cameras showed a tablet and a United coach speaking to Zirkzee, with a defensive set-up seemingly clear on the device.
It showed a wall of red dots, as well as what appeared to be zonal marking system in a defensive corner situation.