With the January transfer window now upon us, many United fans will be eyeing up the prospective signings to help drive the club to their 19^th league title.

Last night’s victory over Stoke was again achieved through spreading the play wide with supporting overlaps from the full backs. While this may be a proven tactic on their own turf, United’s away record indicates that teams are successfully able to negate the system away from the expanses of Old Trafford and result in United struggling to open up teams through the middle on more confined pitches.

Furthermore, as I have previously alluded to, two re-scheduled away games versus Blackpool and Chelsea further congest an already hectic programme and perhaps nowhere will the squeeze be felt as acutely as within the team’s engine room.

Often considered the chink in the prospective champion’s armour, the club’s central midfield will be subject to more scrutiny than ever in the course of the next four months. While a creative player feels like a perennial requirement, the persistent doubts surrounding the future of Owen Hargreaves mean United may also need a grafter.

So who are the possible options for Sir Alex to peruse over the coming week? Let’s take a look at five possible candidates.

David Beckham

Perhaps the most striking aspect of last night’s victory over Stoke was the amount of set pieces which failed to test the opposition's rearguard, let alone the goalkeeper.

Free kicks looped tamely over the bar, corners overshot the runway or were complicated into impotency.

Without the services of Antonio Valencia and Park Ji Sung for another few weeks narrowing options out wide, and Darren Gibson also seeming incapable of providing any form of threat through the centre apart from the occasional long range effort, could Beckham fill a midfield gap as well as alleviate the club’s set piece woes?

It may well prove a gamble worth taking.

Wesley Sneijder

Six months ago this may have seemed a pipe dream, however, the situation at the San Siro has altered dramatically since Jose Mourinho led the club to the European Cup.

Inter have already parted ways with the Special One’s successor, and now sit 13 points behind their city rivals in the league table.

With the club in such a state of flux, a cheeky bid for Sneijder should be considered. The Dutchman would seem the perfect candidate to replace Paul Scholes and at just 26, would provide substantial opportunity for a return on the Glazer’s investment.

Scott Parker

While most players would struggle in a team battling relegation, Scott Parker looks like a professional parachuted into the middle of a Sunday League game.

Possessing all the attributes of an old fashioned midfield dynamo, Parker’s all-action, combative style gives him a unique ability to retrieve lost causes and he can also provide the killer touch at the other end with four goals to his name already this season.

As an added bonus, the Englishman is also eligible for Champions League football.

Lassana Diarra

A move that has been widely touted for the last few weeks seems no closer to fruition, although the prolonged nature of the festive programme hasn’t left much time for transfer negotiation.

The Frenchman has contracted itchy feet at both Chelsea and Arsenal and it would be no surprise if a mild irritation was starting to develop again given the lack of playing time afforded to him this season.

A defensive lynchpin with an eye for a pass, Diarra may well solve two quandaries as well as allowing Darren Fletcher the rest he craves prior to European engagements.

Kaka

The legendary Brazilian has enjoyed an inauspicious start to life as a Galactico, and a pre-season knee injury has further compounded matters.

With Mesut Ozil adapting seamlessly to the playmaker role, Kaka may well find his opportunities at the Bernabeu stymied for the rest of the season.

Being able to call upon the architect of two European Cup victories would present a remarkable piece of business for United and he would provide an ideal link man between midfield and attack in Ferguson's favoured big game formation of 4-5-1.

Although comparisons would no doubt be drawn with the purchase of Juan Sebatian Veron in 2001, the club now possesses a solid base for the playmaker to fit into, with the settled presence of the Da Silva twins and the Portuguese speaking Nani a luxury previous South Americans such as Kleberson and Diego Forlan were barely afforded.

A loan move, albeit for a substantial fee, may well be mutually beneficial for clubs and player alike and would substantiate a significant coup with the player also eligible for Champions League action.