Manchester United were held at home by West Ham on Sunday in what was their fourth successive draw at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho’s side fell behind to Diafra Sakho’s header after just 90 seconds, but hit back 19 minutes later through Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

However, the hosts were unable to find a winner, and have now not won in the league at Old Trafford since their 4-1 success over Leicester City back on September 24.

Since then, they have drawn against Stoke, Burnley, Arsenal, and now West Ham, and it’s arguable that in all four games, United should have taken all points.

However, they haven’t, and as a result sit sixth in the Premier League with 20 points from 13 games, already 11 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea.

Mourinho’s men will face the Hammers again in midweek in a League Cup quarter-final clash, and United fans will be hoping that the club can get a much-needed victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Nonetheless, there are still question marks about a few areas of the United squad, notably defensively, which could see Mourinho dip into the transfer market for reinforcements come the New Year.

Thus, here is the dream United defence, including two key January targets…

RB – Antonio Valencia

For some Manchester United fans, the right-back area was a cause for concern going into this season, with many expecting that Mourinho would be in the market for one during the summer.

However, it’s clear that the Portuguese boss highly rates Valencia, as he revealed last week that he tried to sign the Ecuadorian international while he was manager at Real Madrid.

He was unsuccessful, but clearly saw Valencia’s full-back potential, even at a time when he was playing on the wing for United.

Nonetheless, Mourinho’s faith in the 31-year-old appears to be bringing the best out of him, as Valencia has improved defensively this season, and looks like he’ll be a mainstay in the United back four for the rest of the campaign.

CB – Jose Gimenez

United haven’t looked completely solid at the back this season, so it’s hardly surprising that they’ve been linked with a centre-back in January.

The defender in question is Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez, who has lost his place in Diego Simeone’s side to former Manchester City flop Stefan Savic at the end of last season.

Nevertheless, the 21-year-old was a key part of the Madrid team that reached the final of the Champions League last season.

However, before starting in their 3-0 win over Osasuna on Sunday, Gimenez had gone two months without appearing for Simeone’s side, which has increased speculation about his future in the Spanish capital.

Mourinho is reportedly ready to bid £42 million for the centre-back, who would certainly bolster United’s backline both now and for many years to come.

CB – Eric Bailly

Before injury against Chelsea, centre-back Eric Bailly had made a fine start to life in English football.

Not many people had heard of the 23-year-old when he arrived from Villarreal in the summer, and the £30 million price tag also had many scratching their heads.

However, the Ivorian international has been one of the few shining lights in United’s sluggish start to the campaign, and he looks like he could command the United defence for the foreseeable future.

He suffered a knee injury against Antonio Conte’s Blues last month, and looked set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines only for reports to suggest that he could be back next month.

This would be a welcome boost to a United side that have kept just two clean sheets in their last ten league games.

LB – David Alaba

Mourinho doesn’t seem to fancy England left-back Luke Shaw, and has twice criticised the 21-year-old in public this season.

Thus, the United boss may be on the lookout for a left-back, given the lack of other options in the squad, and he could turn to Bayern Munich’s David Alaba.

The 24-year-old is a fantastic defender who can play in several positions across the back four and into the middle, and has been scouted on a few occasions by United this season.

Alaba is widely regarded as one of the world’s best left-backs, and would certainly strengthen United’s defensive options as well as giving them a midfield option as well.

He may cost them in excess of £40 million, but it would be money well spent if they could bring him to Old Trafford.