Jesse Marsch's unspoken Red Bull plot at Leeds United taking shape as early objective met

The American presided over back-to-back league and cup double-winning campaigns in Austria between 2019 and 2021.

Granted, Red Bull Salzburg's resources dwarfed their domestic opponents, but historic runs in the UEFA Europa League and Champions League in particular indicated the Austrians' quality was not merely a by-product of their domestic opposition's inferiority.

At Leeds, Marsch has displayed similar tendencies to trust in young players, stressing the importance of investing in people and has taken a markedly different approach to man-management compared to his predecessor.

In signing Brenden Aaronson, whom Marsch initially plucked from Major League Soccer in January 2021, Leeds add a player to their group who is not only familiar with the head coach's preferred methods and tactics, but an extension of the American himself inside the Whites dressing room.

Additionally, Rasmus Kristensen's Elland Road arrival clearly outlines Marsch and director of football Victor Orta's aim: to instil a Red Bull-esque philosophy at Leeds as the club aims to transition from a newly-promoted outfit to an established Premier League side.

While there are justifiable concerns that signing players from Austria may not provide Leeds with a grounding in Europe's top five leagues, these aspersions can be flouted by the fact United's squad which finished ninth in the Premier League boasted very little in the way of top flight experience.

Aaronson and Kristensen have tested themselves against the very best Europe has to offer in the Champions League, admittedly ending up on the losing side against Bayern Munich in last season's knockout rounds.

Their familiarity with Marsch's tactics will only improve the chemistry with which the 48-year-old hopes for his side to play, placing a strong emphasis on centrality and counter-pressing in packs when losing possession of the ball.

Last season, Aaronson was among the hardest-working attacking midfielders in the Champions League, carrying out a similar number of pressures per game to Kalvin Phillips.

Kristensen on the other hand is a little more robust than the 5ft 10in US international, and the Dane is geared towards a dynamic, vertical, aggressive style of football.

Given the frequency with which Leeds turned over the ball, and also forfeited possession, during Marsch's 12 games last season, Kristensen appears a handy player to have at a team's disposal forcibly recovering the ball wherever possible.

Leeds' summer business is far from complete with other signings in the pipeline and Orta remaining at the negotiating table.

It is not outside the realms of possibility that another former student of Marsch's will arrive at Elland Road in the coming weeks and months, following Aaronson and Kristensen's lead, lured by the prospect of Premier League football and the potential for international acclaim.

Marsch has not explicitly stated his intention to implement a Red Bull-style philosophy, but the speed of this summer's first two acquisitions, their respective backgrounds and Marsch's coaching experience almost exclusively having been with Red Bull clubs, indicates Leeds are moving in one direction.