The United contingent in the Transfer Tavern were delighted to see their side return to winning ways on Tuesday with a comfortable 2 nil victory over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. 

Jesse Lingard deservedly stole the headlines for Manchester United after his brace either side of half-time ensured the current holders of a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

After 20 minutes at the Liberty, Marcus Rashford tickled a delightful flick through the legs of Mike van der Hoorn to set Lingard through on goal, who made no mistake in slotting the ball into the bottom-right corner. And he ensured United would return to Manchester just 3 games from Wembley, with a brilliant header from just inside the 18-yard line after a pin-point cross from Matteo Darmian.

Mourinho presented a number of fringe players with an opportunity to stake a claim for a place on his team sheet when they face Tottenham at Old Trafford this Saturday, and Lingard’s performance will certainly be giving his manager plenty to think about ahead of the weekend.

The United manager should also be casting his attention to the January transfer window, having had adequate time to assess the strengths and weaknesses of his squad so far this season.

Although the Red Devils have started the season in brilliant form barring an anomalous result away at Huddersfield last weekend, the United contingent on the bar insist there is plenty of scope for improvement to the current squad.

Considering the contracts of Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Juan Mata, Marouane Fellaini and Daley Blind all set to expire in the summer of 2018, United should be stepping up their pursuit of some of Europe’s top talents.

With that said, Mourinho and Woodward should be targeting these three players in the January transfer window.

Mauro Icardi

It matters not if a side typically plays with just one striker up-front, every team wishing to challenge for prestigious silverware needs at least two top-quality strikers on their ranks.

With Ibrahimovic unlikely to feature beyond this season and Rashford and Martial playing their trade in wider positions, the door is open for Mourinho to land another top-class striker this January.

The signing of Inter Milan’s captain and talisman Mauro Icardi would restore a fear factor back into the club that has been absent since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Icardi has already bagged 11 goals in just 10 appearances for the Nerazzurri this season, including a hat-trick in the Milan derby recently.

The signing of Icardi would not only challenge Lukaku for the starting berth in a lone-striker formation but would also lend Mourinho the opportunity to experiment with his tactics and include both strikers in his side.

Mesut Ozil

Mesut Ozil’s four-year stint with Arsenal appears to be coming to a conclusion with his current contract set to expire next summer.

However, Arsene Wenger may well be interested in offloading the German play-maker in January, rather than risk losing him for free at the end of the season.

He has been consistently linked with Manchester United for some time now due to his supposed admiration for manager Jose Mourinho.

There is no questioning Ozil’s imperious ability to unlock defences, but his lack of consistency at Arsenal and failure to produce his best form in the big games will certainly give Mourinho plenty to ponder.

However, Mourinho may well be enticed by the opportunity to bring Ozil to United and prove his managerial worth by enabling him to produce his best form on a regular basis.

Danny Rose

United are desperately crying out for the signing of a proven quality left-back in January.

Luke Shaw’s career at United looks broken beyond repair, and Daley Blind’s distinct lack of pace has forced Mourinho to play the likes of Ashley young and Matteo Darmian out of position at left-back this season.

England’s first choice left-back Danny Rose who has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent months, would be a perfect solution to the full-back crisis at United if they can prize him away from Spurs in January.

A deal for Rose could potentially see Luke Shaw move in the other direction in a transfer which would suit all parties concerned.