5 players Jose Mourinho will heavily rely on this season

We have already seen in the pre-season Jose Mourinho being very vocal on his frustration with Manchester United’s transfer window strategies this season. It does look that Mourinho is disappointed with CEO Ed Woodward and the board for the way they have gone about with the players he desired to have at United.

Although the transfer window is not closed yet, it is unlikely that Jose will get the players he wanted, at least not all of them. In that case, he has to be ready to believe in the players he has got and make the best out of the lot available with him.

Considering the squad United has right now, Jose has some very talented and experienced players and it is no surprise that he will look upon them to help him and the club this season no matter how the transfer window goes here on.

---

#5 Eric Bailly

Bailly can be United's marshal at the back

The Ivorian was brought to Manchester United in the summer of 2016 from Villarreal with high hopes of bringing stability at the back for the Red Devils. But unfortunately, things didn’t go as plan for Bailly as the former Espanyol man struggled to stay fit on a consistent basis. Nevertheless, Bailly is a fantastic defender, the type of defender United desperately need. He’s calm on the ball and has an aggressive approach when it comes to tackling.

United have missed that kind of aggression ever since Nemanja Vidic left the Red Devils. Bailly’s a big threat aerially and has the ability to bully some of the best attackers. It is necessary that he stays fit this season and is available for selection on a regular basis.

It may be uncertain as to if United will be able to sign one of Toby Alderweireld/Harry Maguire/Yerry Mina by the end of this transfer window but Bailly has to be a regular for Mourinho this season and that the Portuguese manager will be relying on the former Villarreal defender to lead United at the back.

#4 David de Gea

The Dave Saves will be once again needed this season

It is no secret that David de Gea has been Manchester United’s saviour more than often especially in the post Sir Alex era. De Gea has been absolutely phenomenal between the sticks for the Red Devils. Contrasting to his World Cup performance with Spain, De Gea was a joy to watch in the Premier League last season.

His sharp reflexes and acrobatic saves earned him 18 clean sheets last season, making 115 saves last season. His distribution too has been impressive and it is safe to say that the Spaniard is more than an asset between United’s goal.

It looks likely that Real Madrid have diverted their interest away from De Gea, meaning the Spaniard will have his full dedication and concentration in the upcoming season. It is very natural to assume that United are much safer with the former Atletico Madrid between the sticks and it is time De Gea earns a trophy for all that he has given.

#3 Alexis Sanchez

Sanchez needs to turn it on from the start of the season

The Chilean arrived in the last winter transfer window involved in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan going to Arsenal. Sanchez was in excellent form with the Gunners and had managed to make a big name for himself in the Premier League. It is astonishing to believe that a player of such a calibre was seen on the bench more than often at Barcelona.

With the form he was with the Gunners, most fans expected him to hit the same form with United but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. It took time for him to gel with his United teammates and at the same time, things weren’t going exactly well for United, making it more difficult for Sanchez to settle.

But the former Barcelona winger has looked sharped and hungry in the pre-season tour and there’s a feeling about him that gives an assurance that he wants to do his level best to take United all the way.

Of course, that is easier than said, but Sanchez was signed for a reason, to make a difference and we should expect to see him doing that more regularly this season. His most effective position in this United side looks on the left but we will have to wait and see to finalize on that but irrespective of that the Chilean will be important for United’s cause this season. His experience and skills will be consistently needed and Jose should be playing almost every match to get the best out of him.

#2 Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku needs to score 20+ goals this season

The Big Rom was very impressive in the 2018 World Cup this year with Belgium and it was no surprise with him doing that well. The Belgium striker has come a long way in his career and can easily be considered as one of the best strikers in the Premier League right now. He has the potential to go ahead and become one of the best in the world and it can only come guiding United to a Premier League title.

Lukaku was very instrumental in helping United score last season but a dry spell in the second half of the season for the former Chelsea man meant Lukaku didn’t have the best of the ends to the season.

Nevertheless, Lukaku is a big asset for United while going forward may it be with his hold-up play, chance creation or scoring goals, Jose needs the former Everton striker to bang in goals consistently this season. We saw the leader in Lukaku in Russia this year and maybe he can be the same for United this season and repay the incredible amount of faith showed in him by the fans and the manager.

#1 Paul Pogba

Can Pogba do it at the club level too?

The Frenchman had to be at the top of this list. After having a stellar 2018 World Cup campaign, one would definitely expect Pogba to build on it and help United this season. Pogba was a delight to watch in Russia this year orchestrating his maturity, intelligence and skills on the pitch. He was everywhere on the pitch helping both in the attack and defence and probably he is needed to play a similar role at United.

There has been some serious criticism for his form with United but it is time Pogba stuns them all and improvises his game to help Jose have a successful campaign in the Premier League this season. Jose will need to build his team and strategies around Paul Pogba to have a realistic chance of winning the league this season.

It will also require Pogba to step up his game and with his’s abilities, it shouldn’t be a problem. It is time Pogba shows the world what he’s capable of and help Mourinho overcome his third season syndrome.