Six Playmakers United Will Get Out the Chequebook For In January

Manchester United are stuck with an injury list that just seems to keep on growing as the January window fast approaches.

Sir Alex Ferguson insisted on many occasions that the club won't be making any purchases in the middle of the season, with the Scotsman arguing that not many players would help improve his squad.

But in hindsight, how wrong he was - after a horror week for United, which saw the club knocked out of the Champions League and Nemanja Vidic and Darren Fletcher bow out for long spells, the side will need to make a purchase or two in the next window or face a tougher than ever title chase.

While Vidic is more of a short term problem, with defenders available at Ferguson's disposal, Fletcher's sudden absence highlights a problem that has existed in the United squad since Paul Scholes retired in the summer - the need for a creative midfielder.

IBTimes takes a look at six players United might be forced to pay up for in January, and assesses how likely they are to actually make the move to Old Trafford.