5 players who need to fire consistently for Manchester United to win the league

#5 Phil Jones

Phil Jones was United's best performer in the early stages of the season

With question marks over the likes of Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo in United’s defence, it was no surprise to see Mourinho spend big money to bring Swedish international Victor Lindelof to Old Trafford in the summer. It was a surprise, however, when he wasn’t the first choice to partner Eric Bailly – instead, Mourinho turned to Phil Jones, stating that the England international was the “ideal defender” for him if he could keep himself fit.

Early in the season, Jones delivered in spades. The standout performer for United in their early games, Jones looked like he was finally living up to the potential he’d shown when Sir Alex Ferguson claimed he could become as good as club legend Duncan Edwards when he first signed with United in 2011. United kept clean sheets in eight of the league games he was involved in, and since he picked up a hamstring injury in November, they’ve conceded four goals in four games – as many as they did in 11 with Jones at the back.

It’s no wonder Mourinho was furious with Gareth Southgate when Jones was injured during international duty in a friendly game with Germany. While he’s still recovering from the injury – he wasn’t in the squad for the most recent game against Arsenal – he could well end up playing a part against Manchester City and should be back in the side after that. Ferguson once stated that “attack wins you games, defence wins you championships” – and if Jones can hit top form, that could ring true for Mourinho too.