5 reasons why Manchester United will win the Premier League this year

Manchester United endured a bittersweet 2015/16 season. On one hand, they finished a paltry sixth in the Premier League despite possessing one of the deepest squads in the league and an experienced manager in Jose Mourinho. On the other hand, the Red Devils won the Community Shield, EFL Cup and the Europa League.

The Europa League win propelled them into the Champions League group stages for this season. While Champions League qualification is much-welcomed, it is the league performance which will be in focus this season.

The red half of Manchester have every reason to be excited about this season and are already contenders for winning the league title. Herer are 5 reasons why Mourinho's side will win the Premier League this year.

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#1 New Signings

Romelu Lukaku is a proven goalscorer.

United boasted of great squad depth last season. However, they never really looked like dominating games in a way title contenders should. One of the reasons for this was the lack of right personnel.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was crucial for United getting into Champions League this season for sure. Nonetheless, he is not known for being as mobile anymore and that affected United's style of play. Thus, signing Romelu Lukaku from Everton to lead the line allows for slicker play and the Belgian is a proven goalscorer as well.

Lindelof is a highly-rated ball-playing centre-back.

As they say, "Goals win you matches, defences win you championships", thus the signing of centre-back Victor Lindelof and defensive-minded midfielder Nemanja Matic strengthen the team.

The former is a ball-playing defender and improves a slightly shaky defence. The latter is a terrific ball-carrier with outstanding game awareness and has the added bonus of coming from direct rivals Chelsea.

While United are expected to make a minimum of one more addition, each of the signings improves the first team and can lead the club to the Premier League summit.

#2 Balance

Matic is one of the signings of the summer as he provides balance to the side

One of the key aspects of a title-winning side is the balance between defence and attack. No matter the attacking nature of the side, it is imperative to have defensive stability.

Leicester City's brilliant Premier League win in 2016 was built on a rock-solid defence of Wes Morgan and Robert Huth while a master destroyer in N'Golo Kante sat in front of them. It was no surprise as Kante's switch to Chelsea played a pivotal role in the London club's title win last season.

Thus, an assortment of attacking riches that combine pace and power needs to be balanced with a stable defence. Manchester United's signing of Lindelof and Matic stabilizes the defensive side massively. Matic, in particular, is a skilled player who can pass the ball along with having strong defensive attributes.

The presence of Eric Bailly, Antonio Valencia and David De Gea provides a great base for the likes of Lukaku, Marcus Rashford, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba to attack up front.

Lukaku, Rashford and Martial are top goalscorers while the remaining players can both create and score as well. Thus, United have the requisite balance to win matches on a trot and this bodes well for Mourinho to deliver the league title.

#3 Paul Pogba's big season

This is the right time for Pogba to step up

Paul Pogba became the most expensive player in football history last summer when United re-signed him from Juventus for £89.3 million. Although Neymar's transfer to PSG this summer beat that record, the expectations from the young midfielder were evident.

Every team requires a talisman who can win games on his own, especially from midfield. The Red Devils genuinely lacked such a player last season as Pogba was settling in and played at times like someone carrying the huge price tag. Further, the lack of proper balance in midfield prevented the Frenchman from playing in a tactically free role.

The arrival of Matic in midfield allows for Pogba to flex his wide array of skills. The 24-year old has the passing range, shooting ability and physique to dominate any opposition on his day. The former Juventus no.10 also has the mobile Lukaku ahead of him instead of Ibrahimovic. On adding Rashford, Martial and Mkhitaryan, Pogba has some top movement ahead of him to create chances for.

Finally, Pogba actually had a better season than given credit for in 2016/17. However, he is expected to be a match-winner and he is ready to show his true ability this season. Thus, Manchester United have their talisman ready to deliver and this is a key factor why the Red Devils will win the league this year.

#4 Winning Mentality

David De Gea is one of the few players in the current squad to have won the PL before

A balanced, world-class first team can beat anyone and accompanied by a quality squad, the club can win titles. However, winning the Premier League, or any top tournament for that matter, requires that winning mentality.

Historically, in the Premier League, United have been the most dominant force. However, they have struggled to compete for the title since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

Thus, the current squad only had De Gea, Valencia, Michael Carrick, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young and Phil Jones last year as the players who had won the league previously. Out of them, only De Gea and Valencia can be considered as first-team players at the moment.

The Europa League and EFL Cup victories in the previous season have finally galvanised the entire squad though. Most of the players who were in that squad have carried on to this season and this bodes well for the club.

Further, the addition of two-time PL winner Matic brings in valuable experience while Lindelof has won the league with Benfica. Thus, the importance of winning titles is paramount to building a league-winning side and United have the perfect attitude to clinch the title this season.

#5 Mourinho's second season

Mourinho has a commendable winning record in his second seasons

While every key aspect of a title win can be prepared in advance, one definitely needs a bit of luck to go along with it. Jose Mourinho's track record of winning the league in his second season at FC Porto, Chelsea (twice), Inter Milan and Real Madrid gives the air of positivity around the club.

The Portuguese is normally known to take a season for setting the team up and two summer transfer windows to sign the players he needs. Thus, his teams dominate the landscape in the second season and sit right at the top of the pile come May.

One look at the United squad, their playing style and confidence shows that the team is both ready and hungry to win the big prize this season and do well in the Champions League as well.

While a case can be made on how Mourinho relies on a concept of building his team to "win now", one cannot deny that it is supremely effective. No wonder, the seasoned manager has won 8 league titles in 17 years of management across 4 countries. Further, he won the coveted Champions League twice.

Thus, Mourinho is a proven winner and given his history with second seasons, one can be assured that he will get United back on top of the perch this year.