Barring a brief hiccup against Arsenal, Manchester United have enjoyed a strong start to the season, finding themselves in 3rd place in the Premier League with 19 points after nine games.

Yet the legitimacy of the Red Devils’ title credentials is still open to debate and I’m sure even Louis van Gaal would admit that his side are still very much a work in progress.

Coming closer to emerging as the finished article could well require some tinkering of the squad in the coming transfer window, which is now not as far away as it may seem – just over two months away in fact.

So with that in mind, Football Fancast have conjured up FIVE ‘transfer issues’ the Manchester United boss must solve in the new year.

Some focus on what the United squad currently lacks and others on what they have too much of – but all require van Gaal’s attention in the January transfer window…

A SPECIALIST LEFT-BACK?

With Luke Shaw ruled out for the majority of the season after suffering a double-leg break against PSV Eindhoven last month, Louis van Gaal faces a bit of a dilemma at No.3.

Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian and Ashley Young are all capable of covering that position but none are what you’d describe as a ‘specialist left-back’, tailor-made to suit that role.

Darmian and Young both struggled to deliver against Wolfsburg and Arsenal respectively, whilst Rojo and Blind represent United’s cover at centre-half – another problem area we’ll come onto later.

Of course, restoring Shaw to his former role is the ultimate long-term objective. The England international was really starting to justify his £29million price-tag before his injury and LVG will be reluctant to complicate matters by adding another left-back into the mix.

But if the Red Devils can source a short-term solution in January – perhaps a player on loan or a youngster who can come into the team briefly – it would certainly solidify their squad for the second half of the season.

ARE THESE YOUNGSTERS REALLY NEEDED?

Manchester United don’t have the biggest of squads this season and Louis van Gaal has always been one for improving the opportunities of young players, so you get the feeling the likes of Sam Johnstone, James Wilson, Jesse Lingard, Patrick McNair and Andreas Pereira might become of some use before the end of May.

But none have received more than 45 minutes’ worth of action in the Premier League so far this term and the development of some could certainly be better served at other clubs.

Goalkeeper Johnstone, for example, is unlikely to see the light of day with David De Gea and Sergio Romero around, whilst Wilson’s lack of game time, despite the limits of United’s strike-force, speaks volumes about van Gaal’s doubts over the young striker. Both could do with loan spells in the Championship.

Lingard has already proved himself at that level put apparently not enough to become a recurring fixture in van Gaal’s plans. A move to another Premier League club for the second half of the season would be ideal for him, as it would McNair, who made 18 appearances for the Red Devils last term.

IS A CENTRE-BACK AVAILABLE?

An area Manchester United must improve upon if the market allows them to. Louis van Gaal’s devotion to signing a new centre-back is no great secret, having come up short in his pursuits of Mats Hummels and Sergio Ramos during the summer.

His preferred mould is obvious; vastly experienced, vastly talented and creative when on the ball; so if a centre-half of that description becomes available the Red Devils must be proactive about it.

A few options that come to mind are Schalke’s Benedikt Howedes, who recently made some murmurings about following Jurgen Klopp to Liverpool, Zenit’s Ezequiel Garay, who is clearly too good for the Russian top flight and is always linked with Europe’s top clubs, and Real Madrid veteran Pepe. He’s made just three La Liga starts this term and now appears to be behind Raphael Varane in the pecking order, but at 32 years of age doesn’t offer much longevity.

If LVG is prepared to deviate from his template slightly, we could see United go back in for PSG’s Marquinhos, who they were strongly linked with last January. The 21-year-old’s pedigree is undoubted and he could be willing to move on in the new year, facing the difficult task of usurping countrymen Thiago Silva and David Luiz from a spot in the starting Xi.

Convincing the Parisians to sell, however, could well require a fee between the £30million and £40million mark.

HOW TO GET RID OF VICTOR VALDES?

Louis van Gaal made known his opinions on Victor Valdes some time ago, effectively transfer listing him during the summer after refusing to represent United’s U21 squad, yet the former Barcelona No.1 is still somehow at Old Trafford.

He’s now reportedly banned from training at Carrington when the first team are around, but still earning somewhere in the region of £150k per-week. Constant reports on how the Spain international is being treated by van Gaal are starting to get a little embarrassing, so one way or another United really need to offload him in January.

The problem is that the Red Devils don’t want him to join another Premier League club, whilst interest from Sevilla and Valencia has amounted to nothing – allegedly due to Valdes’ wage demands.

But at this point, the goalkeeper’s plight is only causing unnecessary attention so even if it requires cancelling his contract via a huge pay-off, the Red Devils might as well just get rid.

ENOUGH FIREPOWER?

Manchester United have scored 15 goals in nine games this season, which actually leaves them fourth throughout the Premier League.

Yet, their two predominant sources for goals aren’t exactly the most dependable; Wayne Rooney is still struggling for form and although Anthony Martial has started his United career with a bang, it seems inevitable his tally will tail off at some point over the next few months.

The problem United face is quite simply a lack of readily available top class centre-forwards on the transfer market, which is how they ended up investing £36million in a teenager from Monaco during the summer. But another striker, even if he’s not the most talented to ever grace Old Trafford, would certainly boost their Premier League title credentials.

One option always worth keeping an eye on is Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain. He’s the best striker outside the Champions League at the minute following the Italian outfit’s failure to qualify last term and has started the season brightly, bagging six goals and two assists in eight Serie A appearances.

Alternatively, Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, Newcastle’s Ayoze Perez and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann are all young front-men enjoying good form, but all come with rather sizeable price-tags.