Manchester United have been on a good run of form over the past week. The Red Devils have registered four wins out of their last four fixtures in all competitions, three of those coming in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho seems to have finally found the winning formula at the Old Trafford after few months of disappointing outcomes.
Mourinho and United invested heavily in the summer transfer window, as they looked to return to the summit of the English football. Paul Pogba was signed for a world record fee of £89 million, while close to £60 million was spent on Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly. Also, they did get very lucky in snapping up Zlatan Ibrahimović on a free transfer. However, despite the huge outlay, the results hadn’t gone United’s way and things were looking bleak for Mourinho. But the recent turn of form bodes well for the Portuguese as he goes about to restore United to its glory.
The Red Devils have a great squad, with world class options in all areas of the pitch and very good options to operate as back-up. However, there have been rumours linking some of the players who have struggled to feature under Mourinho with an exit in the upcoming winter transfer window. Chief among them have been Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin both of whom have been linked with moves to Everton.
So, with the January transfer window approaching fast, do United need to bring in more reinforcements? We analyze;
Zlatan Ibrahimović seems to have found his goalscoring touch again and is banging them in at will currently, while Wayne Rooney looks reinvigorated and reenergized. And with the added options of the talented Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, the forward line seems to be very well equipped for Mourinho.
And with Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and the injured but soon to return Henrikh Mkhitaryan, all hitting form, the wide areas are also looking strong. Ashley Young remains a solid option to be called upon while Martial, Rashford and Rooney have also operated out wide in recent weeks and performed decently.
The defence has been quite brilliant so far, despite the absence of several first-choice options.
In David De Gea, United have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, while Sergio Romero, Argentina’s No.1 goalkeeper, is an excellent deputy to have.
Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo have flourished wonderfully in the absence of Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling due to injuries. Smalling, though, is fit again and with Daley Blind also available, Jose has plenty of options, despite Bailly’s impending Africa Cup of Nations involvement.
Antonio Valencia has been sensational at right-back throughout the season and Italian Matteo Darmian seems to have finally earned Mourinho’s trust, having featured heavily in the recent weeks. In Luke Shaw, United have one of the most promising talents in English football at left-back and despite his injury woes this term, Darmian and Blind have offered great cover. Add to that the budding talent of Timothy Fosu Mensah, who can play anywhere across the backline and has done well each time he has been called upon, the full-back areas also seem pretty well-rounded.
The midfield though remains a concern. While the midfield trio of Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick and Paul Pogba have been at their brilliant best, Marouane Fellaini has had a mixed season so far whereas Bastian Schweinsteiger had been frozen out of the first-team picture until recent weeks. With Schneiderlin’s exit looming large and Schweinsteiger’s likely departure to the MLS, Mourinho could use some depth in the middle of the park. Carrick, as admirable as he has been, isn’t getting any younger and Fellaini isn’t exactly a reliable option. And with United’s involvement in four competitions, Jose will need to manage the workload of Herrera and Pogba as well.
The Premier League title may be a far reach, but the top four is still for the taking and with the Europa League, FA Cup and the League Cup silverware up for grabs, Jose and United should definitely look for reinforcements in January and keeping everything in mind, a central midfielder seems to be the need of the hour for United.