Three areas that Jose Mourinho needs to strengthen Manchester United in January

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Central Defence

Eric Bailly has proven to be a shrewd addition at the heart of the Manchester United defence and, at the age of just 22, it is expected that the Ivorian will develop into one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

Despite developing a relatively solid partnership with Chris Smalling, you question if either Bailly or the England international are currently the world-class centre-halves that the Old Trafford faithful are pining for?

In the past United have boasted the defensive talents of Steve Bruce, Jaap Stam, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to name but a few – central defenders of genuine quality and prestige that provided the solid foundation on which Ferguson built his dominant title winning sides of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Whilst Bailly still needs time to develop and Smalling is an acceptable immediate stop-gap for the time being, there is a paucity of other central defenders in the current United squad. Phil Jones? Marcos Rojo? Daley Blind? Are these players of title winning quality? Mourinho understands and recognises the importance of defensive solidity and he will need to add a world-class centre half if he is to offer a genuine title challenge at Old Trafford.

Featured Image: All Rights Reserved Irina Benetua (Irina Benetua)