United’s Lion Kings are back and Jose’s side now look ready to roar

EVERYBODY has gone into overdrive about Pep Guardiola and Manchester City in recent weeks, and rightly so.

Some of their football has been scintillating as they threaten to turn the Premier League title race into a procession even before November is out.

But the return of Manchester United’s lion, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and his cub, Paul Pogba, changes things and has me hoping that City won’t have things all their own way between now and May.

With those two back we saw a different United on Saturday against Newcastle.

Any team without one or both would have been significantly weaker and that’s why I haven’t been so critical of Jose Mourinho.

If Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero had had the injuries Pobga and Zlatan have had, would City have been the same force? I’d suggest not.

And I certainly don’t think they would have scored 13 goals more than United at this stage had Mourinho’s men been at full strength for the same number of games.

United were as free-scoring as any side at the start of the season but have been playing with the brakes on since French international Pogba got injured.

With him back against the Toon, they looked re juv e - nated.

And by Christmas, when Pogba and Zl a tan should really b e back in the groove, the title race may have an altogether different complexion. Indeed, if Chelsea and Arsenal can build on their results from the weekend then we might even have the makings of a dogfight at the top of the Premier League table. I’m not saying any of them are going to leapfrog City but at least they might make things a bit more competitive than they promise to be right now. Pogba can now demonstrate that he deserves to be rated alongside City playmaker De Bruyne. I want to see him showing a self-belief which says: ‘Okay, I’m going on a one- man mission to rein City in. If they win 2-0, I need to ensure we match it or surpass it, and in the next big derby I’m going to dominate De Bruyne and show him I’m mentally and physically tougher than he is.’ De Bruyne has been key for City this term but in my book Pogba can be just as influential for United. His form before the 2016 European Championship was fantastic and, if he can get back to that level, then we will have a real contender for Player Of The Season. And in Ibrahimovic, he has the perfect ally to help him get there, building him up and knocking him down at the right times. In fact, the next time the two of them cast an eye across the Premier League plains, the conversation should be reminiscent of the one between Mufasa and Simba in The Lion King, when they are sitting on top of the cliff and looking out over everything beneath them. Mufasa says: “A king’s time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king.” Simba replies: “And this’ll all be mine?” “Everything,” says Mufasa.