Manchester United have had an up and down campaign thus far, but it's fair to say that the loss to RB Leipzig in midweek piled the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Exiting the Champions League at the first hurdle lost him a lot of good grace amongst many of the club's supporters, with added scrutiny now going to be placed on their results in the Premier League in the coming weeks.
If United are to have the season many hoped they would, it seems clear that extra recruitment is needed. How many times have we heard that one before?
Despite bringing in three first team players during the most recent transfer window, the centre back position is becoming ever more of an issue. Harry Maguire's form has been abysmal, while Victor Lindelof has hardly covered himself in glory either.
With the likes of Phil Jones and Eric Bailly their other options, Ed Woodward could attempt to dip into the market next month. If one report is to be believed, they have already identified some potential targets.
The Manchester Evening News are reporting that Manchester United are considering moves for the likes of Ben White, Raphael Varane, and Dayot Upamecano in the January transfer window. However, deals for the players may not be pursued until the summer if the price is not right.
How attainable these targets are remains to be seen.
Raphael Varane has shown little interest in leaving Real Madrid and is one of the most highly regarded defenders in the game, while Upamecano is likely to be pursued by every major side in Europe when he does opt to leave RB Leipzig. Manchester United may not be the most appealing option to either player in their current guise.
Ben White could be a more realistic target, but Brighton were reportedly seeking a fee of £50million for the centre back last summer before he had even kicked a ball in the Premier League. With half a season of strong form behind him, that price tag is unlikely to have decreased.
Either way, it seems increasingly clear that Manchester United are going nowhere with Maguire and Lindelof as their first choice centre back pairing.
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