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Christmas has unfortunately come and gone, which can only mean we’re a matter of days away from the official opening of the January transfer window.

Admittedly, it’s been a bit of an anticlimax in recent years with few big-money deals going ahead. But amid a Premier League season not quite like any other, where Leicester City are apparently title contenders and Chelsea are nervously looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone, something tells me January 2016 will buck the trend.

That goes double for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, a notorious January window sceptic. He’s never been fond of the winter market but amid the Gunners’ most convincing title bid for the best part of a decade, Le Prof is almost certain to try and strengthen his squad next month.

Likewise, a number of situations require his attention on the outward front as well. So with that in mind, here are the FIVE transfer issues Wenger must look to resolve in January…

JOEL CAMPBELL – SHOULD HE STAY OR SHOULD HE GO?

Joel Campbell has proved himself an expedient member of Arsenal’s squad in recent weeks, providing two goals and two assists in the Premier League and Champions League combined, but his Emirates future remains shrouded in serious doubt.

Indeed, the Costa Rica international’s contract expires at the end of the season, meaning January is Arsenal’s last chance to cash in before losing him for nothing in the summer – or at best a relatively small compensation fee.

A number of Premier League clubs have been linked with Campbell over the last few years, so the 23-year-old could fetch the Gunners a decent profit.

But Arsene Wenger is clearly fond of the young winger so a contract extension is by no means out of the question – it’s just a matter of Le Prof making his mind up before the transfer window slams shut.

A TOP-CLASS GOAL SCORER – IS THERE ONE AVAILABLE?

Although few are disappointed with Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott’s combined contribution of 13 Premier League goals, Arsenal must act if a top class goal scorer becomes available in January.

Mesut Ozil has dominated the Premier League’s creation charts this season with an incredible 16 assists and a finisher of the Sergio Aguero variety would probably be notching up a hat-trick every week with that kind of service.

Of course, the January transfer window is never the easiest time to buy and that could prove to be Arsenal’s undoing. Few clubs are actively looking to offload guaranteed goal scorers midseason and those who are available – such as West Brom’s Saido Berahino – aren’t particular improvements on what the Gunners already have.

That being said, a top-class striker would immeasurably improve Arsenal’s title credentials for the second half of the campaign, so Wenger and his transfer henchmen must keep their ears to the ground.

Failing that, the north London outfit could always activate Gonzalo Higuain’s £67million release clause – but that seems pretty unlikely.

LOAN SPELLS FOR IWOBI AND BIELEK?

We’ve seen Alex Iwobi impress in small doses this season, but big clubs rarely find time to field youngsters during the business end of the campaign – especially if they’re pushing for the Premier League title.

The 19-year-old is yet to leave the Emirates so a loan spell away could hugely aid his development now that he’s got five senior appearances under his belt – not to mention two caps for Nigeria.

Likewise, the prodigious ability of Krystian Bielik is often heralded but even amid Arsenal’s recent injury crisis, the defensive midfielder’s participation this season has been limited to a single outing in the Capital One Cup.

Aged just 17, a loan move perhaps isn’t as much of a priority. But once again, plenty of clubs would be prepared to take the former Legia Warsaw starlet off Arsenal’s hands and the experience of a loan spell would only improve his chances of making it into next season’s senior squad.

SIGN MOHAMED ELNENY OR A LIKEMINDED ALTERNATIVE

With Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Francis Coquelin all potentially out until late February, it’s imperative Arsenal sign a central midfielder in the January transfer window and preferably as soon as possible.

It is perhaps not essential but most would prefer to see an out-and-out defensive midfielder join the Gunners ranks, who can provide a similar kind of service to the aforemented Coquelin in front of the back four.

According to reports, the north Londoners are already in talks to sign FC Basel’s Mohamed Elneny, who is valued at around £5million. The 23-year-old has claimed three Super League titles with the Swiss outfit and has impressed in the Europa League this term, netting twice in five outings.

Should the deal fall through, however, Arsenal must find a likeminded alternative ASAP. That could require targeting some more established options such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Lars Bender and Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho, who have been on the club’s radar for some time.

WHAT BECOMES OF DAVID OSPINA AND MATHIEU DEBUCHY?

Arsene Wenger will be incredibly reluctant to weaken Arsenal’s squad depth halfway through their most convincing title bid for the best part of a decade, but it seems almost macabre to keep players at the Emirates against their will.

David Ospina, for example, more than proved he deserves to be a No.1 at a decent club during the second half of last season, helping the Gunners claim third place in the Premier League and an FA Cup with a series of impressive individual performances.

But he’s not seen the light of day since Petr Cech’s arrival in the summer and has resultantly been linked with a move away, with Turkish outfit Besiktas believed to be particularly keen. But Wojciech Szczesny and Emiliano Martinez are out on loan already – so an injury to Cech could leave Arsenal desperately short between the sticks.

Mathieu Debuchy, on the other hand, the Gunners could probably afford to lose. The France international has managed just 22 appearances since signing from Newcastle two summers ago and is desperate to guarantee better playing time ahead of Euro 2016 on his home soil.

With Calum Chambers and Francis Coquelin as potential back-up and Carl Jenkinson set to return from his West Ham loan spell in the summer, Arsenal could probably part with the 30-year-old next month without too many serious consequences.

Liverpool are already considering the sale of £32.5m summer signing Christian Benteke, according to Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones.

The burly Belgian striker signed for the Anfield club from Aston Villa during the last transfer window after months of speculation.

He was initially seen as the man to spearhead the club’s attack under Brendan Rodgers, but since new manager Jurgen Klopp’s arrival Benteke has often been overlooked for bigger games in favour of Roberto Firmino – who has been used as a ‘false nine’.

And now Jones, speaking on Bleacher Report’s ‘Insider Buzz’ show, has revealed that Liverpool are willing to listen to offers for his services:

“What I’m hearing is that in fact Liverpool are now ready to listen to any offers that come in for Christian Benteke.”

But Jones went on to claim that Benteke has no desire to leave Anfield this month, with a switch after EURO 2016 this summer he preferred option:

“Benteke knows right now that he does not figure in Jurgen Klopp’s plans at Anfield. He really does want to show the club that he can live up to the expectations they had for him when they paid all that money for him, but I understand that Benteke doesn’t want any decision to be made right now.

“What he wants to happen is that he fights for his future now for the rest of the season and that any decision over his future will be made after the European Championships.”

Benteke’s hopes of game time may be further reduced if Liverpool are able to seal a deal for in-form Shakhtar Donetsk attacker Alex Teixeira, who can play as a striker or in any attacking midfield role.

Roberto Firmino’s form is an issue for him, too, with the Brazilian having netted four goals in his last three league matches.

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As you may already be well aware, iconic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will leave PSG upon the expiration of his contract during the summer transfer window. That has seen him linked with a free transfer to the Premier League in recent weeks, but not everybody seems quite so convinced of his quality.

Indeed, Manchester City are already out of the race for his services; Pep Guardiola and the veteran front-man notoriously clashed at Barcelona, leading to the latter’s departure in summer 2011 just twelve months after moving to the Nou Camp.

Likewise, certain pundits have expressed their concerns about the ageing 34-year-old striker, famed for his arrogant and often overbearing demeanour, and the motivation he actually has for moving to the Premier League. Is Zlatan interested in anything more than a final pay-day and a few Premier League goals to massage his already monolithic ego?

But we at FootballFanCast are massive fans of the towering striker and in our opinion, pretty much every club in world football – let alone Premier League giants Arsenal, Chelsea & Manchester United – should be scrapping it out for him in the coming transfer window. Here are FIVE reasons why…

HE’S A WINNER

Zlatan often portrays himself as an egomaniac, lacking team spirit and prioritising his own success over that of his clubs. The media and pundits rarely bother to disagree, but the iconic Swede’s sensational trophy haul would suggest otherwise.

Indeed, Ibrahimovic hasn’t lost a title race for over a decade, harking all the way back to the 2002/03 campaign at Ajax and spanning spells in the Eredivisie, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 – although two Italian titles were later retracted due to the Calciopoli scandal at Juventus.

To achieve such consistent success at six different clubs, Ibra can’t be the selfish sociopath often suggested by the tabloids. And even if he is, it clearly doesn’t affect his teams in the same way as fellow enigma Mario Balotelli, for example.

In short, Ibrahimovic is a winner. Amid arguably the chaotic, competitive and unpredictable era in Premier League history, every club fighting for the title needs one of those leading the line.

AGE NOT AN ISSUE

Most strikers are usually well past their peak by the time they turn 34, but Zlatan seems to be maturing like a fine wine and only getting better with age.

The Sweden international has netted 35 times across all competitions this season and is resultantly on course to complete his strongest ever campaign in scoring terms – just six goals shy of his career-best 41-goal return from 2013/14 with plenty of football left to play.

Admittedly, the French top flight is one of the least competitive divisions in Europe, so scepticism regarding Zlatan’s ability to transition that potency to the Premier League is certainly understandable – especially considering he’s famed for a rather underwhelming scoring record against English clubs.

But Ibrahimovic has never relied on speed and his 6 foot 5 frame remains as imposing as ever, so there’s no reason the goals should dry up – at least, to dramatic Radamel Falcao-esque proportions – upon moving to the Premier League.

Likewise, when it comes to creativity, technique and movement, Ibra’s vast experience, boasting 775 senior appearances throughout his career, is only further improving his game.

FRINGE BENEFITS: KIDS AND COMMERCE

Perhaps it’s a rather cynical perspective to take, considering how cash-thirsty the corporate aspects of the Premier League have become in recent years, but there are obvious commercial benefits to snapping up Ibrahimovic, indisputably one of the most recognised names and characters in world football.

Indeed, James Rodriguez sold 345,000 shirts in just 48 hours after signing for Real Madrid in summer 2014, so you can imagine the kind of revenues Ibrahimovic would amass pretty much instantaneously upon joining Manchester United (the second-highest shirt sellers in world football). It might even cover the vast majority of his wages.

But the cash cow doesn’t stop milking there. The 34-year-old is a highly-marketable, well-established footballer who fans simply love to watch and will resultantly attract new sponsorship deals, new investors, new shareholders and generally create a buzz of commercial interest around his next club.

Likewise, Ibrahimovic may not be the most natural of teachers but the young players at Arsenal, Chelsea and United would have so much to learn from the enigmatic Swede. Even training in his company for just twelve months could drastically aid their development – especially young strikers. Some might disagree but nobody ever became a worse footballer by playing with the best.

STRIKERS ARE CURRENTLY AT A PREMIUM

As you may have noticed over the last few years, the Premier League is seriously struggling to sign top-draw and even second-draw strikers. There quite simply aren’t that many around at the moment, compared to five or ten years ago, and consequentially, all the clubs lucky enough to have one aren’t interested in selling without an astronomical fee involved.

It looks set to be a similar case in the coming transfer window. The likes of Chelsea, Man United, Arsenal, Man City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich will be scrapping it out over a relatively small rabble, such as Gonzalo Higuain, Romelu Lukaku, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, and a few clubs will inevitably miss out to others who are prepared to pay very silly money.

So no club – regardless of their financial backing – is in a position to turn down arguably the greatest striker of his generation, readily available on a free transfer. Indeed, much has been made of Ibrahimovic’s wages but he’ll certainly save his next club a significant amount in transfer fees, which brings us nicely onto…

Low risk on a short-term deal

No doubt, despite suggesting otherwise throughout this article, signing Ibrahimovic could still backfire spectacularly. He’s an incredibly self-confident character who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with everybody, particularly managers, and could resultantly cause a few rifts in the dressing room.

But overall, acquiring the strike veteran on a free transfer isn’t that much of a risk. Firstly, there’s no transfer fee involved, so it’s not as if Ibra next clubs could end up throwing £20million-odd down the drain.

Secondly, although the 34-year-old will demand a considerable salary, any deal in the Premier League would surely have only a two-year duration at the very most – with a one-term contract far more likely. So even if things go awry, he won’t be hanging around too long anyway.

Likewise, contracts are more complex, sophisticated and varied than ever before, so Arsenal, Chelsea or United could include instant release clauses, twelve-month extension clauses and performance-related pay structures if they’re concerned about how Zlatan might settle in England.

With that in mind, a short-term deal seems like a no-brainer.

Arsenal and Liverpool have been boosted in the chase for Bayer Leverkusen star Javier Hernandez, according to reports from the Daily Star.

Hernandez has been heavily linked with a move away from the BayArena in recent weeks, with the Mexico international in sensational form for the Bundesliga club this term.

Last summer, ‘Chicharito’ was seen as surplus to requirements by Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, and was subsequently sold for just £7.3million to Bayer.

But since his move, the 27-year-old has scored 22 goals in just 29 games, alerting the likes of the Reds and the Gunners in regards to a move back to England.

And now Bayer chief executive Michael Schade has claimed that the club will consider selling the striker if they receive a big offer from interested parties.

“As of today, we don’t want to sell any player, we want to keep the team together and improve,” Schade said to the Rheinische Post.

“But we are a commercial company and there are thresholds. If such exorbitant bids come in, we will examine them and see what they bring us.

“In the case of Son [Heung-min, who left for Tottenham], ultimately the benefits of English money has helped us.

“I can say that for us Kevin Kampl and Hernandez as a package are more important than a single player. If we manage it the same with each transfer, we are strengthening the quality of our squad.”

Schade is however reluctant to let Hernandez leave, and is hoping to secure Champions League football next season to convince him to remain in Germany.

“Hernandez has never said that he wants to leave. He feels comfortable because he knows he is appreciated,” he added.

“If we reach the Champions League we have a very good chance of keeping him at the club.”

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Welcome back to another edition of Fantasy Premier League Forecasting Good Fixtures, in which we look at which teams have some favourable matches in the coming weeks.

With the first of the double gameweeks coming up this very weekend, we are definitely in crunch time, in which the casual players will be separated from us more the FPL geeks.

Those that fail to realize the implication of these doubles will surely fall behind with just around seven games remaining, but with the silly season that it has been thus far, we never know.

The best way is to be prepared for it, with many managers activating their wildcards this week in order to deploy the brilliant bench boost in Gameweek 34 in search of 15 players with the double.

However, don’t forget that gameweek 35 has half the teams on blanks, so it ain’t as simple as it sounds.

Well we’ve narrowed down the THREE TEAMS you should really consider buying from ahead of the upcoming gameweeks.

Arsenal

Arsenal were absolutely brilliant in their 4-0 win over Watford over the weekend, with the Gunners seemingly turning the corner following crisis talks just a few weeks ago.

And despite facing an in-form West ham United at the Boleyn Ground in their next game, Arsene Wenger’s men are worth investing in over the coming period, with a home double against Crystal Palace and West Brom in GW 34 before matches against Sunderland (Away) and Norwich (Home).

Alexis Sanchez (10.9) has regained his form with a goal and an assist in his last fixture, while Alex Iwobi (4.5) has emerged as an enabler and a differential. Hector Bellerin (6.3) continued his incredible attacking output despite being a defender, and Mesut Ozil (9.7) may be an important factor again if he gets some rest after some jaded displays.

Everton

Everton have been a mystery this season, as despite some incredible displays of attacking football, can’t seem to be a team capable of challenging for a spot in Europe. Their defenders aren’t too shabby either, but their biggest problem is that the Toffees are terrible at home.

However, their Goodison Park woes are the reasons that make Everton a favourable club to buy from in the coming weeks, with Roberto Martinez’s men playing TWO away games in Gameweek 33 (this weekend) against Watford and Crystal Palace, before another double against Southampton (Home) and fierce rivals Liverpool (Away).

But Everton have a blank in Gamweek 35, so an exit strategy for the likes of Romelu Lukaku (8.9) or Ross Barkley (7.1) may be required to not have a team with many blanks.

Liverpool

Liverpool have an amazing opportunity to catch those ahead of them in the race for a European spot, with games against Stoke (Home) this weekend before a double with Bournemouth (Away) and Everton (Home). Then they face Everton Newcastle (home), Swansea (Away), and then Watford (Home)

The bonus for the Reds is that not only do they have two Double Gameweeks coming, but the fact that they do not have a blank Gameweek 35 means Reds stars should be invested in heavily.

Philippe Coutinho (8.2) will be the prime candidate for the Reds amid Roberto Firmino’s (8.1) injury, while James Milner (6.5) is a also decent differential given his cheaper price tag and decent attacking output.

If you look at the strikers that Roberto Mancini has at his disposal at Inter Milan, you’d think they’d be at the top end of Serie A and mounting a serious push for the title.

Yet, as they languish in fourth place with only the bragging rights over their rivals to cheer about, some Inter fans have been left disappointed by what they’ve seen from one striker in particular.

The man in question? Stevan Jovetic – who is on-loan at the San Siro on an 18-month deal from Manchester City. Whilst many forget that he is still a City player, he looks like he might be in limbo come the end of the season with his future at Inter Milan growing more unclear by the day.

Comments in the Italian press this week plunged the Montenegrin’s future into doubt, with the 26-year-old himself stating that “I haven’t come to sit on the bench”.

Inter have the chance to sign the striker at the end of the season for a sum of around €14.5m, but will they want to pay such a fee for a striker that has only wielded six goals in 23 league appearances? It’s yet to be seen, but his future at either club is well and truly up in the air.

Many City fans have been calling for another striker to be brought all season, with the reliance on Segio Aguero seemingly getting greater week-by-week. With Wilfried Bony failing to provide anything at all since signing from Swansea City a couple of years ago and Kelechi Iheanacho still finding his feet in the first team, City need more firepower upfront, so could Jovetic be an unlikely option?

He failed to set the Etihad alight during his first spell, but faced fierce competition from Edin Dzeko, Alvaro Negredo and Sergio Aguero, who all battling for the right to be City’s top striker. So could it be different this time round? If you want to be brutally honest, he’s struggled to find the form he discovered at Partizan Belgrade back in 2007/08, which earned him his move to Fiorentina. He scored 19 in 33 appearances that season and since then he’s had one solid campaign in Italy and has failed to fulfil his potential.

You can’t argue for the Montenegrin unfortunately. At Fiorentina, Manchester City and Inter Milan he’s been surrounded by quality but he seems to be outshone far too easily for a player that should be offering flair, trickery and goals.

Whilst he’s struggled to dislodge Mauro Icardi from the Inter Milan team all season, his market value has continued to drop. These should be the best years of Jovetic’s career, yet he seems to be stuck in an irreversible rut.

What seems clear is that his future may lie away from both Manchester City and Inter Milan in the near future with a club that can offer him a fresh start.

He had so much potential and perhaps he can rediscover that somewhere else, but as for a return to the Etihad? Don’t get your hopes up.

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Joe Allen is having an incredible time in France this summer. Much better than most!

He is playing the football of his life in a team full of players who are also playing the football of their lives. They’ll be distraught when the tournament ends, but it could still end after they lift the trophy. Now that would be incredible.

International football is often about redemption. How many players have been abandoned by their clubs just before a big international tournament? How many stories are there of free agent players setting a tournament alight and finding a move? Hal Robson-Kanu is just the latest in a long line. It’s a little different with him – he let his own contract run down in a bid to get a bigger move. But the narrative still holds, at any rate. It’s a good story.

And Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen could be in a similar boat. He has been linked with a move away from Liverpool – notably to Celtic – and clearly isn’t in Jurgen Klopp’s plans for Liverpool’s future.

Any stats we take for Allen from last season will probably not look like they mirror his performances so far for Wales at Euro 2016. He has been a great influence in the Wales side this summer, moving the ball well and keeping the tempo to allow the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale to take up attacking positions in the pitch, using their quality to break teams down.

But what last season’s stats do show is that Allen is a very tidy player, and one who is comfortable playing a pass in the midfield.

What he won’t do, however, is add goals to a side.

Perhaps a move to Scotland and a chance to work with Brendan Rodgers, a manager who clearly believes in him, could allow him to replicate the form he’s shown with Wales this summer – because you can see why Rodgers likes him.

His passing ability suits Rodgers’ systems perfectly, and Celtic will need that composure and quality in order to break down some of the more stubborn defences to qualify for – and progress in – Europe this season.

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Tottenham have held firm to their sensible transfer policy this summer. Far from being goaded in to signing the costly bigger names of European football, they have stuck to their framework.

Buy younger, talented players and spend efficiently. Pochettino and Levy have not been lured in to the extortionate sector of the market and have remained focused on players they are sure will fit their team.

The investment into the first XI so far has been rather cheap, compared to the absurd spending of many of their Premier League rivals. An eventual third-placed finish in the 2015-16 campaign became more of a disappointment than many expected it would have been and the looming prospect of Champions League football will push their squad to the very edge.

Could it be time for Spurs to spend a bit bigger? Or should the Lilywhites stick to their guns?

Well, whatever they opt to do, these THREE Napoli stars must come in to consideration…

Lorenzo Insigne

With Spurs still short on natural width, a player of Insigne’s style would be perfect for their squad. Although Lamela and Eriksen impress from wide areas, there is a growing feeling that the team would benefit from a couple of players who were more willing to dribble directly.

Insigne notched 12 goals and 10 assists in Serie A, as he starred alongside the brilliant Gonzalo Higuain. Able to jink through even the lowest of defensive blocks, Insigne would create chances for Spurs’ strikers in a way that the squad currently struggles to.

Napoli would be unlikely to part with such a key player cheaply, mind.

Dries Mertens

If Insigne doesn’t take Tottenham’s fancy, they could be lured in to bolstering their, already healthy, Belgian contingent with the signing of Dries Mertens.

More often than not, Mertens has been a bench player for Napoli and struggled to really make his mark on the team on a regular basis. However, as Spurs look to add quality depth to their squad, he could be an ideal signing this summer to provide a little extra pace and goal threat from wide areas.

Capable on playing on either wing with equal comfort, Mertens would certainly add an extra dimension to Pochettino’s forward options.

Marek Hamsik

Having starred with Slovakia at the Euros, it might finally be time for Marek Hamsik to break out of his Italian comfort zone and test himself in the Premier League.

An extremely gifted midfielder, who can play as an eight or a 10, Hamsik has great vision and a dangerous shot from range in his armoury. Whilst he would be unlikely to play alongside Dier in the midfield pivot, Hamsik would be a great signing to play just behind Harry Kane.

Manchester United returned to winning ways after clinching their first trophy of the 16/17 season by beating the Premier League champions Leicester City 2-1 in the Community Shield final on Sunday.

Manchester United took the lead after a fine individual goal from Jesse Lingard, who again scored at Wembley Stadium. Leicester City were gifted an equaliser after Marouane Fellaini’s slow back pass was intercepted by Jamie Vardy, and the Englishman made no mistake.

But Zlatan Ibhrahimovic had other plans as the Swede scored the winning goal for his new club through a towering header from Antonio Valencia’s cross.

So here’s what we learned through the game..

Terrific Bailly

When Bailly was signed, Mourinho explained that the Ivorian possessed a great combination of speed and strength, and Bailly proved him right.

The defender didn’t have a comfortable start at the beginning of the game after being nutmegged by Jamie Vardy, but did recover to as the game progressed and his confidence grew.

Bailly didn’t end the game well after picking up a booking for reckless challenges but did enough to claim the Man of the Match award on his debut.

A good start to his career and he must be able to build on it.

Change in Gameplay

The possession based, safety first approach installed by ex-manager Louis van Gaal was still being executed by the Manchester United players. Lingard’s brilliant individual goal emphasised a lack of creativity from the Red Devils.

Although things have changed a little, Mourinho in his post-match interview said that he will bring out the necessary changes as the season progresses.

Mkhitaryan and Pogba will be expected to spearhead the objective to create better chances.

Poor Mata

Juan Mata was brought on in place of Lingard on 63 minutes, after the Englishman picked up a knock. The Spaniard didn’t improve the squad much, but wasn’t much bad either.

Sadly, the substitute was substituted to pave way for new signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan in stoppage time. The Spaniard played an approximate 30 minutes and may be humiliated by this gesture.

Mourinho praised Mata for doing a good job in his short appearance. Mourinho later clarified that he was expecting a full blown attack from Leicester City and thus felt the need to substitute the Spaniard because he is the shortest member of the squad.

A decent explanation by the Special One and perhaps there are no problems between the player and manager.

Perhaps?

Manchester United lacked Sharpness

Manchester United were denied a good pre-season as their scheduled matches in China were affected by the weather.

In the clash against Leicester City, the Red Devils were giving away possession cheaply (especially Wayne Rooney) and attempting poor passes throughout the game.

A lack of pre-season games seemed to have affected the Red Devils as their match sharpness wasn’t quite visible from the Manchester Giants.

Leicester will put up a good title defence

The defending Premier League champions Leicester City gave Manchester United a tough fight in the clash as the Premier League winners were able to create better chances than the FA Cup winners.

The Foxes hit the woodwork once through Shinji Okazaki’s attempt after heading the ball from a corner kick.

With the addition of Champions League games, Leicester City now must be able to balance their games and prevent the players from burnout.

Although winning the league again would be a difficult task for the Foxes, a good title defence can be expected from Claudio Ranieri’s men.

When Manchester United signed Paul Pogba for a world-record transfer fee, they must have known that if he didn’t perform straight away, he’d be seen as a disappointment. The same thing goes for Jose Mourinho. It’s Mourinho who is taking the flak for his young midfielder right now, but who knows how long that will last.

Is the problem that Pogba simply hasn’t yet found his niche? Or is the problem down to what Mourinho is asking him to do?

Over on the other side of Manchester, it’s been Yaya Toure in the media firing line over his work rate and general performance levels. Yet on his day, he’s unstoppable. Like Mourinho, Manuel Pellegrini’s 4-2-3-1 deployed Toure alongside Fernandinho as a part of the two or in the middle of the three at various points of last season and the season before.

Pellegrini’s rigidity in sticking to a two-man midfield put Toure in a similar position to Pogba. The Ivorian was deployed in various locations in a 4-2-3-1 as Pellegrini seemed of the opinion that Fernandinho and Toure could overpower most three-man midfields. Perhaps Mourinho feels the same about Pogba and Fellaini.

But the position in which Toure found himself last season is the one Pogba now finds himself in: he is chastised for roaming forward and forgetting his defensive duties, but utterly lost if told to stay back.

So maybe he just hasn’t found that niche just yet. After all, Jose Mourinho isn’t the only coach to have found it difficult to get the best out of Pogba in the same system.

In the EURO 2016 final, Pogba was deployed in a holding role alongside Blaise Matuidi as Didier Deschamps hoped that by asking Pogba to be disciplined, he could keep his defence protected whilst allowing Antoine Griezmann to roam in behind the striker.

The result stifled Pogba, who floated around the centre circle like a horse in captivity, not really understanding why he was there or what he was doing.

Earlier on in the tournament, France played with a midfield three to get the best out of Pogba. In the end, however, it was perhaps a straight choice between getting the best out of Pogba or tailoring the system to suit Griezmann. It may seem like a tough choice, but Griezmann will probably be on the Ballon d’Or podium in January. Pogba won’t.

So maybe the problem goes a little bit deeper than finding the best position for Pogba. Maybe the problem is Jose Mourinho, and maybe it’s more complicated.

A year and a half ago, in February 2015, Mourinho was still managing Chelsea and taking them towards the Premier League title. They faced Paris St-Germain in the Champions League, and lost in extra time after a David Luiz header. The first leg of that tie, at the Parc des Princes, is interesting because of the mark it may have made on Mourinho.

PSG’s main attacking threat, however, wasn’t Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It was Matuidi. With Edinson Cavani playing on the left due to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s presence in the middle, it was Matuidi who took on the role of a central midfielder-come-left winger.

Bursting out of the centre of midfield to help out Maxwell on the left, he allowed Cavani to drift into the middle. This, in turn, allowed Ibrahimovic to do what he does best and drift slightly wider to pin himself to the full-back, where he finds mismatches and dominates. Cavani’s presence in the centre even led to a headed goal for the Uruguayan. The assist from a Matuidi cross.

Was Jose Mourinho marked that night by Matuidi’s ability to turn up on the left and be a threat from wide areas? Was he impressed by the Frenchman’s energy, the fact he could show up on the left whilst ensuring that Chelsea weren’t able to dominate the midfield, too? Is this why Paul Pogba is showing up in similar positions for United this season?

If it is, Mourinho seems to be trying to deploy Pogba in a similar role to Matuidi at PSG, but he also seems to be ignoring the fact that Matuidi could perform that role because he had two midfielders alongside him. Usually, Thiago Motta and Marco Verratti would provide tenacity and culture alongside him. On the night PSG played Chelsea, it was David Luiz who played in the defensive midfield role.

The key factor probably isn’t Matuidi, however, it’s Ibrahimovic. Perhaps by playing Anthony Martial on the left, Mourinho is setting his side up for the same sort of attacking system that saw Ibrahimovic score 113 goals in 122 Ligue 1 games at PSG.

Pogba’s problem so far this season may well be the fact that he’s being asked to curtail some of his most deadly instincts, and looks undisciplined in terms of his tracking back. But even against Watford, Pogba looked uncomfortable in a three-man midfield. That points to a problem settling into a new tactical role, rather than a positional role. The problem is probably more complicated than where Pogba plays – it’s to do with Jose Mourinho telling him how to play.