Manchester United climbed up to fifth in the table following their 3-0 win against Watford at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, with goals from Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood representing the difference between the two sides.

Here, we look at three things the club learned from that important victory for the Red Devils.

Matic needs a new contract

The Serbia international Matic has spent much of the season on the fringes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad - whether it be due to injury or the decision of the manager, the 31-year-old has started just nine matches in the Premier League to date.

However, that doesn't mean he hasn't had an impact, as we saw against the Hornets. The former Chelsea man made three tackles, three interceptions as well as five key passes - which was more than any other player on the pitch - as he bossed the middle of the park.

Before the beginning of the January transfer window, Matic was coy on his future at Old Trafford, and admitted that his time there may be coming to a close. In the end, he stayed with the Red Devils, but that may just be delaying his departure.

As it stands, he has less than six months left on his contract, although United do have the option to extend for another year. Whilst he may not be the player he once was, he still has bags of experience and can provide mentorship for some of the younger members of the team.

With the option there to keep him for at least another year, it would be silly not to exercise it.

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McTominay may struggle to return to the starting XI

Even before the match this weekend, United were handed a boost as Scott McTominay was named on the substitutes bench.

The Scotland international had missed the last seven matches in the Premier League due to a knee injury, which came at an inopportune time for both the 23-year-old and Solskjaer. The Norwegian labelled him as "almost undroppable" towards the end of last year, and he will be welcomed back to the squad as we head into the business end of the campaign.

However, he may not break back into the side straight away, despite his clear quality. On Sunday, both Matic and Fred were in good form, picking up SofaScore ratings of 7.8 and 7.5 respectively.

The latter, in particular, is finally beginning to show why the Red Devils parted with £52m to sign him in 2018. He has become a hugely important player for the club - he started just 13 league matches in the whole of the previous campaign but has now been named in the the first XI for the last 20 - and is now himself close to irreplaceable.

The duo have started the last two clashes in the top flight, with United keeping two clean sheets and scoring five goals. Even with McTominay back, Solskjaer should continue to explore this potentially blossoming partnership as he mulls over a potential selection dilemma in midfield.

Defensive issues to iron out despite clean sheet

For the first time this season, United have kept three clean sheets in a row in the league - in fact, they have failed to do so in even two successive games beforehand.

In the last three games, they have conceded just seven shots on target - clearly, there has been some improvement on the defensive side of things from United considering they shipped four in their previous three before this run.

Having said that, they rode their luck at times against Nigel Pearson's side. Whilst they may have managed just two shots on target, there were plenty of times Watford found themselves in dangerous situations and, against a side with more quality and self-belief, United would have had plenty more problems to deal with.

The London outfit even had a goal ruled out by VAR at 1-0 - Craig Dawson did handle the ball, but that doesn't excuse United's questionable defending. A third game to nil is certainly something positive Solskjaer can cling on to, but he and his side must not rest on their laurels.