Mats Hummels

The Dortmund centre-back is the type of player who I think United should be building their backline around. He is comfortable on the ball, strong in the air and is more than confident in taking the ball down, opening up and travelling up the pitch with the ball at his feet.

His awareness is something that you'd expect to find in a small central midfielder with a low centre of gravity, but his powerful frame sees him boss attackers regularly.

This season the Germany international has played 11 games in the Bundesliga and he has averaged nine defensive actions per outing. He has won 17 tackles, 52 headers and created nine chances for his team-mates, which is an impressive return for a centre-half.

With Nemanja Vidic looking as if he will be off and Rio Ferdinand's contract also expiring in the summer, United will need to plan their defensive options carefully, and I think this is the man who they should be going for. 

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Nemanja Matic

After such a strong performance away at Manchester City away, a performance which had the entire country purring, Matic failed spectacularly in his attempts to boss the midfield at the Hawthorns.

His attempts at closing down opponents didn't work and from the six tackles that he attempted during his time on the pitch he won just two. He also won just one of his three headed duels.

Matic is a player who needs the right type of player next to him - someone like David Luiz. The Serb is a bustling player who likes to play the ball short distance and when Luiz is alongside the Brazilian is the one to spray the ball around the field and carry into the other areas. However with him dropping back into centre-back, Matic was paired with Ramires in the middle and the energy of the latter somewhat limited the former, as he was left to hold the fort on numerous occasions.

If John Terry is still unavailable come the City game then I would take Matic out and replace him with John Obi Mikel.

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Samuel Eto'o

For a player nearing the ripe old age of 33, the Cameroonian is still a rather sprightly one. He has the touch, he has the composure, and although he has lost the pace that he was once renowned for, he holds a high level of creativity and it's helped the Chelsea playmakers immensely. We saw that against Newcastle at the weekend  when his back flick set up Eden Hazard, but he still isn't scoring enough goals.

The former Barcelona player has scored six goals this term but I feel as though he should be at least in double figures in terms of league games.

During the clash with West Brom he was up against Craig Dawson and Gareth McAuley, which on paper seems like a simple enough task, but the pair bossed Eto'o throughout and he was unable to get any real space.

He had three shots at goal but never really threatened, and he was very wasteful in possession, so with Fernando Torres making his return the perhaps he could step in. 

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Cesar Azpilicueta

A lot of the West Brom pressure came from down the right flank and the Spaniard couldn't handle what was thrown at him. He's not the most nimble of players and struggled with the willingness to attack from the West Brom players, but he was also caught out of position on a few occasions.

He was penned in by the determination of the Baggies forwards to get forward and when he did get up the pitch he left huge gaps in behind. He went in for seven tackles during the game and failed to win one of them while he won just one header.

He delivered just one ball into the box - which went wayward - and completed just 77% of his passes. If Ashley Cole is fit for the FA Cup tie then I would suggest that Mourinho slots him back into the left-back berth. Either that or re-shuffle the current backline without the Spaniard. 

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Olivier Giroud

The France international has been a standout player for the Gunners this season scoring 14 goals in his 32 appearances, but every now and again he looks tired. It's through no fault of his own though, as he is relied upon so heavily, but that the fatigue and the onslaught from Liverpool meant that he never really settled into the game.

Against sides like Liverpool you need nippier forwards who can exploit the sluggishness of their giant defenders, playing balls into the flanks and letting them chase them down. Giroud isn't a player to offer that and was pinned back into a deep position as he looked for some sort of input.

He had two shots, one which hit the target and one that was skewed wide, and he won just two headers from the eight he went up for, which for a target man is not good enough.

I would probably throw Lukas Podolski up top for the next game, or maybe even try Serge Gnabry in order to recharge Giroud's batteries. 

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Nacho Monreal

On the other side of defence it was a similar procedure. Liverpool are a side who enjoy possession in the wide areas and they have players blessed with speed, so hitting teams on the break is something they enjoy doing.

Unfortunately for Arsenal they were not able to stand up to this and collapsed on the flanks, and Monreal was hooked after an hour of the game with a speedier Kieran Gibbs.

The Spaniard attempted two tackles, both of which failed, and was caught out a couple of times before he was taken off. He only won half of his headers and looked overwhelmed throughout the 90 minutes whenever an opponent ran at him.

The centre-back pairing were fully exposed by the full-backs as the back four was stretched far too wide, and for that reason I would drop Monreal and start Gibbs next time out. Either that or stick Vermaelen there.

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Bacary Sagna

The Frenchman was run all over the place this afternoon by the fluid attacking unit of Liverpool. Raheem Sterling in particular gave him a difficult time down the flank and I think it may be time to introduce Carl Jenkinson back into the side.

Sagna is flat-footed and has previously struggled to contain the quicker forwards and it proved to be the case today. He did make seven clearances but was continually caught out positionally and the space behind him was fully exposed.

He was also wasteful going forward. We are so used to him bombing down the wings and whipping balls into the box, but his delivery was poor throughout - he failed to meet an Arsenal player in any of his five crosses, and failed in his only take on of the game.

Per Mertesacker had a notably poor game, but I think Sagna had a big part in that as the big German always had an eye on what he was doing and was stretched on occasions. 

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Mats Hummels - Borussia Dortmund

Having played in the Bundesliga on over 150 occasions and another 50-odd games in cup competitions for Borussia Dortmund, Mats Hummels is one of the most outstanding centre-backs in the country. He also has 28 senior appearances for the Germany national team, which by itself is no easy thing to do.

The 25-year-old should really be heading towards the peak of his career but his performances have been steadily going downhill over the last few years, though when you play at such a high standard for so long people are just waiting for you to trip up.

He is one of the most comfortable defenders with the ball at his feet that I have ever seen and for that reason I am throwing his name into the hat.

He often glides forward, beating opponents and floating balls into his team-mates with ease. He has the technique of someone playing higher up the pitch than him but the intelligence and ability to read the game of a stalwart defender.

Hummels would complement the likes of Phil Jones brilliantly and I think the two in the heart of defence would be extremely successful together.

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Eliaquim Mangala - Porto

Standing at 6 foot 2 inches, Mangala is a powerhouse of a defender and is slightly different to Chiellini in a way that he is willing to go through the back of someone if there s no other way of stopping the opponent. He is a natural born winner and will do everything in his power to pick up points for his side, whether that means getting hurt in the process or not.

The 22-year-old is an exciting player. Just watching him makes you passionate about defending and the way he bosses strikers in every aspect has ensured that the majority of football fans across Europe know exactly what he's about.

He's also a skilful player though and isn't afraid to carry the ball out from the back, though this requires a rigid player to stay tucked in behind him.

The France international has already played played over 150 club games in his short career and that includes six in this year's Champions League. In those games he has made 25 clearances, seven tackles and has a pass rate of almost 90%.

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Giorgio Chiellini - Juventus

Staying in the Italian top tier where Vidic may well end up, if I was David Moyes I would be going all out to secure some sort of deal for Juventus centre-back Giorgio Chiellini. The lanky Italy international may well be 29, but he is one of the most established defenders on the European stage and would provide the younger players in the squad with some incredible tutoring.

Imagine Phil Jones under the wing of Chiellini - amazing.

He's a monster at the back and take a no-nonsense approach to leading his backline, but is a much gentler player when the ball is at his feet. He often opens up his body and assesses his options before releasing it, which the United midfield could certainly benefit from should he join the Old Trafford side.

The big centre-half has played 19 league games this season and has averaged 4.2 clearances per game, as well as 2.5 tackles and 2.3 interceptions. He also has a pass completion rate of over 90%.

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