Manchester United are sixth in the Premier League table having won six of their opening 15 league games.

Jose Mourinho’s men won their first three league matches of the season, but have since struggled to get over the finishing line, winning just three of their subsequent 12 games.

However, the performances have been steadily improving under the former Chelsea boss, and their 1-0 win over Tottenham on Sunday was their first at Old Trafford in the league since their 4-1 thumping of champions Leicester on September 24.

It has been a case of too many draws which has thwarted United’s pursuit up the Premier League table, having squared six of their last nine matches, four of which have been at home.

In the majority of those six games, aside from Liverpool away, United did enough to win them all, but they were just lacking that killer instinct in the final third to get the job done, and that is the reason why they are already 13 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea.

A run to the last four of the League Cup and the last 32 of the Europa League shouldn’t be scoffed at, but United fans will hope for an upturn in Premier League results as the season progresses.

Nonetheless, as Christmas nears, we thought it’d be a good time to review United’s season thus far…

PRO – Playing well

Most people that have seen Mourinho’s United this season would agree that they are playing pretty well.

The performances have certainly improved in terms of excitement and attacking endeavour in comparison to the Louis van Gaal era, and it’s just a matter of time before that translates into more league victories.

Paul Pogba appears to be finding his feet in English football once again, and it looks like the defence, despite being plagued by injuries, are starting to gel and provide a solid foundation for which the front players can do their bit.

In Zlatan Ibrahimovic, they have a forward who has scored goals at every level for every club in his career, and Juan Mata has also been brilliant in the final third this season.

United are playing some good football – the performances are certainly better than the results suggest at this stage.

CON – Not winning enough

And it’s the lack of victories which has been the biggest issue so far this season.

United have played 25 games in all competitions this season, and won 14. That may not seem too bad, but only six of those wins have come in the Premier League, and three of those came in the first three games of the season.

That means that United have won just three of their last 12 league games, which is quite simply not going to win you titles, and it is not going to get you into the European positions.

Stoke, Burnley, Arsenal, and West Ham have all left Old Trafford with a point this season, and they are all games United could and perhaps should have won – there’s eight points dropped already.

Include the last minute goal against Everton, and the late capitulation at Watford, and there’s more points that have gone begging.

Mourinho’s side could quite easily be sat comfortably in the top four, but they are not, and they won’t be any time soon if they keep dropping points late on, and don’t get the job done at Old Trafford.

PRO – Big players beginning to flourish

Henrikh Mkhitaryan couldn’t get near the United side in the early stages of the season, and his one Premier League start before November was a shocker against Manchester City.

However, his recent form has been a revelation, and must give United fans huge optimism going into the rest of the season.

Two goals and two assists in his last four games, including his first Premier League goal against Tottenham, has reminded us all of the player we saw flourish for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, and he could be key for United going forward.

It’s not just Mkhitaryan though, the likes of Pogba and Ibrahimovic have also had an excellent few weeks.

£89 million man Pogba struggled to begin with on his return to United, but has two assists in his last four games, as well as greater dominance of the midfield area, while Ibrahimovic has hit form again after a spell which saw him go six games without a goal and miss several chances in those games.

Things are certainly beginning to click at United.

CON – Out of the title race

However, it looks like it has clicked a bit too late for them to win the Premier League this season.

United are already 13 points behind league leaders Chelsea, who at present look unbeatable, and that looks like a gap too big to bridge, even with 25 games still to go.

They have also progressed to the last 32 of the Europa League, which is going to add the Thursday-Sunday routine into the campaign come February, and it’s a competition that hasn’t hugely benefitted English sides in their league campaigns in recent years.

It’s going to be very difficult for United to get near the summit this season.

Player of the Season – Ander Herrera

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has adapted well to English football, netting 13 times for United, but did struggle for a few games, whereas Ander Herrera has been excellent pretty much every time he has set foot on the field.

The central midfield department was an area of concern for Mourinho at the start of the season, as was made clear by his regular rotation of the players in that area, but Herrera has become his first-choice central midfielder at Old Trafford.

Alongside Michael Carrick, the Spanish international has been hugely influential in helping United control and dominate games from the middle, and adds something to their offensive game as well, laying on four assists in his last seven games.

Sensational displays against Liverpool, Everton, and Tottenham have seen the 27-year-old’s stock rise massively over the last three months, and he’s sure to be a key figure in the United midfield for the rest of this season and beyond.