Why Manchester United must strengthen their squad in January

Phil Jones and Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick is a very good player but he needs someone better than Tom Cleverly to partner him in the central midfield area. Fellaini hasn’t been impressive so far this season with people raising concerns about Moyes’ last minute panic buy of the former Everton star.

Shinji Kagawa, the Japanese playmaker is a very talented player, but just 18 months after his signing for the club, has been asked to watch from the sidelines after being restricted to just seven league starts this season. He needs a longer run in the team to show his true worth as a player.

However, one positive of the season for David Moyes in his first season in charge of Manchester United has been the rise of Belgian youngster Adnan Januzaj. Back in June, he was showcasing his dribbling abilities in the reserves and earned a name for himself in the United reserve team.

Six months later the young Belgian has not only been a first team regular at Old Trafford but also has turned out to be the creative asset of his team with his quick feet and ambitious play. United however cannot solely depend on the 18 year old to save their season but he can himself do no harm if he goes on to blossom in the presence of senior players.

On the contrary, players like Ashley Young and Nani has performed way below average this season. They need to gear up if they want to play regular football the coming season. The likes of Valencia and Wilfried Zaha needs to be given some time in the playing field although I don’t believe that Moyes has much faith in the latter. The Red Devils have scored only 36 goals in the league this season and with nagging injuries to both their main strikers, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, there is problem up front too.

Moyes has started Welbeck on a number of occasions and with 8 goals to his name has performed reasonably well but he might find it too heavy to handle the pressure alone.

The stakes are stacked as high as a snowy peak and Moyes knew that when he took the job from Ferguson. He knew that it was a great opportunity to take over the champions of England but it was also loaded with risks. And now when the when everyone at Old Trafford is trying to save their season, the risks involved with the job has become clear.

If Moyes fails at Manchester united, he will be tagged as the guy who couldn’t handle the reigns at Old Trafford and his 11 years of achievement at Everton will be undermined. That’s a brutal reality and the unforgiving nature of the fans.

There are many who hope he does fail and many others are relishing his troubles. Manchester United dominated English football for so long that a sudden fall from grace was always going to be greeted with hilarity among the rival fans. Moyes knows best that he needs to turn things around and hopefully United can pull themselves together under “the Chosen one ‘’ and rise again in the post Ferguson period.