Our Manchester United fans here in the Transfer Tavern are still buzzing after their dramatic derby day second-half comeback against table toppers Man City at weekend, and they now feel that after that performance Jose Mourinho has set himself a solid foundation of players going forward.

It certainly was a game of two halves in the 5:30 kick off on Saturday, Man City could have easily put the game to bed in the first 45 minutes, however, wasteful finishing prevented them from doing so, much to the relief of our regular Reds in the bar.

The second half was completely turned on its head in a match-swinging two minutes, that left City and it’s fans bemused as to what had just happened. Jose Mourinho, in that second half, must have seen what our punters did – a trio of players that could prove the catalyst for success going into next season, as they seek to challenge harder then they have done so far this term for the Premier League.

Our barman, who was watching the derby, says if Mourinho doesn’t build upon these THREE stars going forward, then he can only put failure to secure a title on his own head…

Nemanja Matic

The former Chelsea man is probably one of Mourinho’s best signings so far under his reign. The Serbian is composed, commanding and a lynchpin of the United team, for much of this season he has shown that. While he sits back and links the play nicely between the defence and attack, he allows the likes of Pogba and others to race forward at will, knowing they have the protection at the back

An instant fan favourite, any team that Mourinho builds should be centred around this midfield marshall.

Ander Herrera

Last season’s Player of the Year is a player that bleeds the red of the club, you can see it everytime he plays. Combining him with Matic in a 4-3-3 formation proved to be a masterstroke for the Portuguese man. Herrera brings a certain calmness to the team alongside some much-needed bite that gets the team ticking over nicely.

With his disciplined approach to the game, he can sit back alongside Matic and protect – allowing Pogba to do what he does best, much like he showed us in the derby at the weekend.

Paul Pogba

The record buy, Paul Pogba, certainly showed what he can do for the team, providing he plays in the right position and formation alongside being surrounded by Matic and Herrera which helped a lot.

Pogba sealed a great performance by grabbing a brace in the 3-2 comeback win over Man City, which condemns them to back-to-back defeats inside a week and it certainly left many of our punters happy on Saturday evening. If Pogba knows he can leave his defensive duties to other players, United may finally start to see the Frenchman at his best once again.