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

#2 Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba makes United's central midfield tick

Many fans and observers raised their eyebrows when United paid a world record £89m to bring Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford from Juventus last summer, and to be honest, his inconsistent performances in 2016/17 did little to prove them wrong. His form has improved massively over time though as he’s become more comfortable with Mourinho’s methods, and before he picked up a thigh injury in September, he looked like United’s best player.

The fact that the Red Devils appeared to be struggling in the centre of their midfield without the Frenchman clearly showed his importance to United’s chance of winning the Premier League, and it was no surprise that his return coincided with three straight Premier League wins, including an impressive 4-1 win over Newcastle United that saw him score his third league goal of the season.

In yesterday’s clash with Arsenal, Pogba had a bit of a mixed game – he assisted two of United’s three goals, but he was also shown a straight red card late on in the game for a crude tackle on Hector Bellerin. The sending off means he’ll miss the match against Manchester City and while Mourinho defended him as a “clean player” and said the decision was unfair post-game, inside he was probably smarting over the loss of such a key player for such a massive fixture.

When Pogba returns from suspension, though, as United’s key midfielder, he’ll need to be at his absolute best, world-beating form for the remainder of the season for them to win the title. And the way he’s been playing recently, it’s a distinct possibility.