Manchester United go to Hull City in the League Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday (7.45pm kick-off) hoping to protect their two-goal lead from their win at Old Trafford a fortnight ago.

Goals from Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini secured a comfortably victory for Jose Mourinho’s men in the first leg, and thus they’ll be confident of getting the job done at the KCOM Stadium on Thursday evening.

That’s mainly because United haven’t lost a game in all competitions since a 2-1 defeat in Fenerbahce back on November 3, and haven’t lost a domestic match since their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of league leaders Chelsea back on October 23.

Thus, Mourinho’s men will go in as favourites to make a ninth League Cup final, but Hull have certainly improved under new boss Marco Silva, and will provide a stern test to the Red Devils on Thursday.

United go into the game off the back of a 1-1 draw at Stoke last weekend, a result which saw them fall 12 points behind Chelsea at the top, and indeed remain four points off the top four.

Many feel that Mourinho will need to strengthen his squad in the final week of the January transfer window to break into the top four and be competitive on domestic and European fronts for the rest of the campaign, and thus they have been linked with several high-profile players in recent times.

So, here is what the IDEAL Man United XI could look like come February 1…

David De Gea

Spanish international David De Gea has developed into arguably the best goalkeeper in the Premier League over the last three years.

The 26-year-old arrived in England all the way back in 2011, but seriously struggled to get to grips with the English game, and was actually dropped by Sir Alex Ferguson during his first season at United.

However, De Gea has improved season after season, and has rightly been recognised by the United fans as he has for the past three years won their Player of the Season award.

The amount of points De Gea has won United in the last three years is unbelievable, and when you have a goalkeeper like that in your side, you will always be tough to beat.

Antonio Valencia

There were concerns about United’s right-back options at the start of the season, but Antonio Valencia has banished those worries after a fine campaign thus far.

The Ecuadorian international signed for the Red Devils back in 2009 after excelling at Wigan as a winger, but he has seen his opportunities in that position slowly reduce over time, and has thus been pushed back into the right-back area.

However, the 31-year-old has been excellent as a defender this season for United, and has regularly been one of their highest rated performers over the course of the campaign.

Valencia’s ability to get up and down the flank has never been in doubt, yet his contributions in both penalty areas have improved this season, and he looks set to remain the number one choice at Old Trafford for the remainder of the campaign.

Eric Bailly

Ivory Coast were knocked out of the African Cup of Nations on Tuesday after a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Morocco, but it does mean that United’s Eric Bailly is likely to return to Manchester slightly earlier than expected.

There were some raised eyebrows when United spent £30 million on the 22-year-old last summer, but he has already proven in his short spell in England that he is on his way to becoming a top quality defender.

Bailly suffered an unfortunate injury in the 4-0 thrashing at Chelsea back in October and hasn’t really had a sustained run in the team since returning from that issue, and indeed before he went on international duty.

Although Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo have been excellent for United in his absence, there’s no doubt that Bailly is the best centre-back at the club, and he could lead the Red Devils backline for many years to come.

Victor Lindelof

United have been heavily linked with a move for Benfica’s Victor Lindelof over the last few weeks, and it appears that a decision will be made by Mourinho this week about a potential move for the defender.

And it’s a deal United should certainly try and get done over the next few days before the window shuts.

The Swedish international is highly-rated in Portugal after five years at Benfica, in which time he has made his way up through their B team into a regular feature in the senior side.

The 22-year-old has already appeared more times this term than he did last season, and it’s his consistently high displays which have caught the eye of Mourinho and his scouts.

At just 22, he and Bailly could strike up quite the central defensive partnership at Old Trafford, both for the now and indeed for several years to come.

Matteo Darmian

The left-back department has been something of a concern for United this season, with the likes of Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw, and Matteo Darmian all trying their hand at that position.

However, it’s the latter that appears to have made it his own, despite speculation linking him with a move away from the club a few months ago.

That’s because the Italian international didn’t make a single appearance for the club prior to their 1-1 draw with Arsenal on November 19, and looked completely out of favour under Mourinho.

Yet, some solid displays in the Premier League appears to have secured both his United future and indeed the left-back spot for the remainder of the season at least.

Michael Carrick

It’s incredible that, even at the age of 35, United are still heavily reliant on midfielder Michael Carrick.

The former England international is entering his 11th year at Old Trafford after moving from Tottenham back in 2006, but he is still as important to United now as he was when he first joined the club.

That’s because his control of the midfield and tempo of the game is almost irreplaceable, while his reading of the game is as good as anyone’s in the Premier League.

Alongside Ander Herrera, they have every base covered in the midfield department, and Carrick will continue to be integral to this United side until the end of his career.

Ander Herrera

Arguably one of United’s best players this season, Ander Herrera is slowly but surely becoming the complete Premier League midfielder.

The Spaniard moved to Old Trafford in 2014 as a relative unknown and, although he was a prominent member of Louis van Gaal’s first team in the past two seasons, it has been this campaign which has seen him take it up another level.

His display at Liverpool back in October was exemplary at a time when Mourinho wasn’t sure of his best central midfielders, yet since then Herrera has been a regular in the side because of his excellent defensive work in front of the back four, but also his contributions to attacks.

Herrera has received man-of-the-match awards for both of those aspects of the game, suggesting that he is well on his way to becoming a good all round midfielder.

Isco

Isco’s future at Real Madrid remains uncertain after a season of reduced first team opportunities at the Bernabeu.

The 24-year-old has started just nine of their 18 La Liga games so far this term, while he also appeared just once in their Champions League group stage campaign earlier in the season.

Thus, the Spanish international doesn’t look to be in Zinedine Zidane’s regular first team plans, so he may look to move elsewhere this month.

And one club he has been linked with is Manchester United, who would seriously benefit from the youngster’s quality in the middle of the park.

Isco can play anywhere in the midfield, be it slightly more defensive or in the advanced positions, and could be the perfect long-term solution when Carrick and Wayne Rooney eventually move on.

It’s a deal Mourinho should try and get done ahead of Tottenham before next week’s deadline.

Paul Pogba

It took Paul Pogba a bit of time to readjust to English football, but he’s certainly produced some excellent displays in the last few months for United.

The Liverpool performance aside, the French international has had a huge influence on proceedings in the final third, and has four goals and three assists for the Red Devils this season.

His efforts against Liverpool will be of concern to Mourinho, as you’d expect more from an £89 million in a big game, but Pogba is still finding his way in the English game, and there will be many more impressive displays to come from the 23-year-old.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Mourinho was criticised for his treatment of Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the early stages of the season, but the Armenian’s recent displays for the first team suggest that the Portuguese may well have got it right.

The former Borussia Dortmund attacker made just one Premier League start in the opening three months of the campaign, and that lasted just 45 minutes against Manchester City, yet his reintroduction into the first team in November has paid dividends.

Mkhitaryan has scored three goals and laid on three assists in his last ten appearances for United, and appears to be the player we all saw at Dortmund in previous years.

His form in the attacking areas will be key for United in the remainder of this campaign, and indeed for a few years to come.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

There were many questions asked, and indeed doubts shared, about whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be able to cut it in English football, yet he’s answered all of those critics already.

The Swedish star scored his 14th Premier League goal of the season in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool ten days ago, to take him to just one behind the league’s top-scorers, Alexis Sanchez and Diego Costa.

That goal took his total in all competitions to 19 which, when United’s next top-scorer is Juan Mata with seven, underlines his importance to Mourinho’s team.

It’s not just his goal-scoring though, his defensive work leading from the front has been exemplary, and he’ll continue to be a massive part of the United team for the rest of the campaign.