Manchester United must raid Borussia Dortmund for Ilkay Gundogan, Sven Bender and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to make them Premier League title challengers again

Manchester United have been brilliant in the second half of the season but the defeat at Everton was a timely reminder that they still have a long way to go.

United played like Sunderland on a bad day – they were that horrendous.

Recently I wrote about what United need to take them back to a proper challenge for domestic and European glory. Now it's time to name names.

Teams will have bad days, of course. It's no surprise to those of us who can see his quality and importance to United, but without Michael Carrick they look far more beatable. I can't see how Everton score that first goal if Carrick is on the pitch.

Daley Blind is a poverty-stricken pauper's version of Carrick in that position. The Dutchman is a slower version of the Geordie, which is quite an achievement, and so more reinforcements are needed.

That's why it would be a good idea for United to raid Borussia Dortmund. Ilkay Gundogan has already been linked with a move to Old Trafford – it's a no-brainer. This player is physical yet graceful. He can spot a pass and execute it first time. He's dynamic and never hides.

Alongside him in that Dortmund midfield is Sven Bender - the German Carrick. These players make relatively few tackles because they anticipate and intercept – they read the game.

But when Bender tackles, the opponent knows about it – he is a beast. Despite his frame (he's 6ft 1in, slightly shorter than Carrick), he is quick to step into a tackle.

Opponents think they have a bit of time on the ball but Bender makes up the ground in a flash to rob them.

What I'm saying here is that United may need two players to replace Carrick. And those two fit the bill. Both are winners, both have had years in Dortmund playing some magnificent football.

And if Louis van Gaal is raiding Dortmund he might as well sign Armenia's finest Henrikh Mkhitaryan. What a playmaker this guy is – he floats around picking the ball up wherever he can, gets the team into advanced positions and can spot a pass. He can score goals too.

I think he's a more positive version of Juan Mata – look how often the Spaniard gave the ball away at Goodison on Sunday. There's a lot to admire about Mata's game, but he is one of the guilty ones when you look at the reasons for United being ponderous in their build-up.

United also need a centre half and another striker – it's a work in progress after the post-Fergie collapse. But the Dortmund trio would bring instant reward for Van Gaal.

And it's not just plucking names out of nowhere: the timing is right for them to move on just as manager Jurgen Klopp leaves.

There is a way any Manchester United team must play – David Moyes found that out to his cost, and earlier this season Van Gaal listened to the fans' loud and clear disapproval of negative football and passes going backwards too often and changed the way they played.
Hoofing it up to Marouane Fellaini has happened – not as often as the critics make out – but with certain players out, Van Gaal has felt that tactic is the best way to get results.

Van Gaal knows anything less than a top-four finish is failure.

So much has been made of Dortmund's poor season, but even during that time they managed to finish top of their Champions League group above Arsenal.

And the second half of the campaign has seen a revival that has led them to the top half when before Christmas relegation looked a possibility. These are not bad players just because of half a season.

These are players who, if they successfully bring their A game with them from Germany, could improve United's starting XI massively.
If United are going to raid a club for good players, there are some rich pickings at Dortmund. And I haven't even mentioned Mats Hummels.