Oh, yes its that time again. Christmas chaos around the Premier League has becalmed, with the fixture carnage now focusing on cup football. After the FA Cup Third Round weekend was led by misty-eyed nonsense, we return to the League Cup - the competition seemingly hated by half the clubs involved and devalued to the point of being worthless.

It is, of course, far from worthless. A viable trophy that clubs can actually lift before spring time has even begun and one that should be paid far more respect. Jose Mourinho is one manager that has had a love affair with the League Cup. It was the cornerstone of his initial success at Chelsea over a decade ago and he has seldom shown the disdain for it that many other managers do.

In a season of relative disappointment, Mourinho needs a trophy. An upturn in form of late does not change the fact that the title is out of Manchester United’s reach, even at this stage, and poor performances earlier this season have not been forgotten.

With the out-of-sorts Hull City their two-leg semi-final opponents, progression to Wembley should be straightforward, so maybe he should change things up...

Time for Tim

While Michael Carrick’s record in the Manchester United side this season is bordering on ridiculous, the veteran midfielder will need a rest. At home to a Hull side who will be short on confidence and have looked out of their depth so far this season, it is the ideal opportunity for Mourinho to give the former Tottenham man a brief break.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who appeared from the bench against Reading, deserves an opportunity in the Manchester United side and, in a game they will dominate, this is a fitting chance. Mourinho is yet to prove his faith in the younger players around the Manchester United squad, but this is an opening for him to do just that.

Although the bulk of his game time has come in full-back positions, the youngster can play in the middle and may well prove he's capable of being the anchor.

Mkhi Return

Wayne Rooney equalling the goalscoring record was nice and all, but it's time he returned to the bench. Well, the ageing Manchester United star needs his rest just like Michael Carrick does and Henrikh Mkhitaryan must return to the side.

Whether the Armenian plays centrally or Juan Mata fills that void, he will terrorise Hull’s defence. He has looked the complete player since becoming a regular member of the side and whatever went on between him and Mourinho earlier this season is long forgotten at Old Trafford.

Pog-back Again

Rested for the game with Reading, Paul Pogba’s return to the Manchester United starting line-up is inevitable. Especially when Marouane Fellaini was his replacement in the first place.

The world record signing has looked every bit worth his value of late and, quite frankly, could destroy Hull single-handedly. Manchester United have become a unit and Pogba is the heartbeat of the side. He might not be the world’s best player just yet, but the Frenchman is certainly one of the very best midfielders around.