Arsenal target Anthony Martial

Anthony Martial was linked to Arsenal over the weekend. There are two main things that stand out about this story. One is that Martial has been a much improved figure this season. His performances have shown a much greater cutting edge, and he is more dangerously direct. He seems far happier at United and with Jose Mourinho, and it seems as if there are no disquieting stories coming from his agent to the press, either. Secondly, we can’t rule out a move, of course. This is modern football, and players can change their minds or have their minds changed very swiftly. But, if Martial does want to leave, what would possess him to stoop to the mediocrity on offer at Arsenal?

Jack Harrison quit Manchester United and moved to New York City FC in search of first team football. It’s a mark of how much the quality has improved in the US that he has managed to get a call-up to the English Under-21 squad with his displays in America.

Some positive news for United. Paul Pogba could be out for a couple of months more according to recent reports, and Marouane Fellaini suffered an injury while on international duty with Belgium. However, the most recent stories suggest that he will only be out for a couple of weeks - Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera should be able to fill in until he and others return.

United are aiming to get Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to match action in December. It wouldn’t be perfect, but he could perhaps fill in at number 10 to ease any ongoing midfield injury problems at the time. And Romelu Lukaku will definitely be in need of some time off as the busy festive period approaches.

And lastly, United will face competition from Barcelona for Antoine Griezmann, as they target the Atletico Madrid man. He will have a £100m release clause, which is now relatively cheap. Weird.