To what extent is it true to say that the doctrine of the four Imams is in agreement with the Ash'ari doctrine?

The four Imams (Abu Hanifa, Malik, Al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad) followed the methodology of the Companions in belief, where they affirmed the meanings of Allah's attributes and entrusted the knowledge of their modalities to Allah. This contradicts the Ash'ari doctrine. And Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari himself returned to the methodology of the Salaf.