Anderson has been ruled out until February with a knee injury he picked up earlier this month.

His last game for United was against Otelul Galati where he was subbed off with ten minutes left to play.

With Tom Cleverley out until Christmas and Sir Alex Ferguson resorting to playing our best striker in midfield to try and bridge the gap in quality we have for this position, surely the manager has to be looking at strengthening our squad with a top midfielder when the transfer window opens.

Anderson was a regular starter for United at the start of the season, playing well alongside Cleverley. However, since Tom’s injury, Ando’s form has been poor.

There have been rumours of United going in for Wesley Sneijder again, although he would be cup-tied for the Champions League. Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martinez would be a more realistic target though.

Whilst January buys are fairly rare at United, surely Anderson’s injury should force Ferguson’s hand… even if there’s no value.