Manchester United have been linked with several defenders – especially from the Portuguese league – in the last few weeks. United have conceded 16 goals and 15 matches this season. Despite possessing one of the best defensive record in the division, United have strangely been linked with several defenders. One of the underlying factors is thought to have been the fractious relationship between Mourinho and the likes of Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw. The Portuguese boss publicly questioned the England duo about their commitment to the club.

Now, though, those differences appear to have been patched up. Mourinho has confirmed that he cannot be happier with his defenders and that United are unlikely to step into the transfer market in order to strengthen their defence. As quoted by the Daily Star, he said:

“They are playing better than ever and now we have a third centre-half to rotate.

“With Bailly we have a third central defender and hopefully we can manage with those three until the end of the year.”

As the January transfer window approaches, it is normal for managers to encounter questions about the plans for the window. United are expected to strengthen significantly once again despite having spent £150 million in the summer on players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba. After struggling for much of October and November, Mourinho seems to have found a perfect line-up and formation for his squad.

Even though United could only scrape through a 1-0 win against Tottenham during the weekend, it was once again a game in which the Red Devils could have scored many more goals for the dominance that they exerted on the opponents. Mourinho has been complaining in recent weeks that United have not been getting the results that they have deserved. After having finally secured a much-needed home win, a much more relaxed Mourinho now looks set to overlook the likes of Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk in order to continue with his existing complement of defensive players.

Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo have enjoyed a new lease of life in the Manchester United starting line-up. The duo have been performing exceptionally well in the last few weeks and they were able to keep out Eric Bailly from the starting line-up against Spurs. Even though both these players are primarily central defenders, they are also extremely versatile and capable of playing as a right back and the left back respectively.

The biggest surprise for many has been the unlikely partnership that these two players have formed.

Mourinho has always loved versatile players just like any other manager. He converted Branislav Ivanovic, a central defender by nature, into a right back at Chelsea in his second spell at the club. There is every possibility that he could improve Jones in the right back spot going forward. The former Blackburn Rovers defender is no stranger to this position.

United are unbeaten in the last eight matches of all competitions going into the midweek game against Crystal Palace.