Our Manchester United fans here in the Transfer Tavern are still buzzing after the Alexis Sanchez swap deal but are hoping for more.

Jose Mourinho has really pulled a rabbit out of the hat with the swap deal of Sanchez and Mkhitaryan transfer window, much to the delight of the punters propping up our bar. United currently trail local rivals Man City by 12 points, and certainly needed something big to try and hack that deficit away in the second half of the season, as well as looking ahead to the next campaign.

The Red Devils have long been in the market to strengthen in a few areas of the pitch and, with the arrival of the Chilean, a couple of the problems have been temporarily fixed.

However, to gain momentum going into next season, Ed Woodward and the board will need to achieve two things now ahead of the game to try and close the gap with their city rivals. Indeed, with the Champions League still to play for, it’s vital that key areas are addressed before the transfer window closes.

With that in mind, our landlord takes a look at two things that need to happen at Old Trafford before the window shuts…

A Midfielder

Next up on the list, according to many of our punters anyway, is the need for a midfielder. This was highlighted during Paul Pogba’s recent suspension related absence when United had no creative spark to get them firing in the way the former Juventus star does.

Mourinho needs to have a quality back up, or a great alternative to Pogba for whenever he’s not in the team in the second half of the season.

Clear Out

United still have a handful of players that they have yet to tie down to longer contracts and some of these players are sure to be leaving the club. Surely the likes of Daley Blind and even Juan Mata don’t have much in the way of a future at Old Trafford.

Maybe alongside these players, a bit of the deadwood could be shifted out ready for the summer months incomings as United look to shake things up once again.