COMMENT: Of course, says Jose Mourinho. Of course, big Zlat's knee injury forces a rethink. That A-list of transfer targets now binned. Scrapped. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's ACL changes everything...

A new centre-forward was always going to arrive. Maybe to play alongside Ibra. Maybe to help phase the big Swede out. It's not so much on the pitch where Mourinho knows Ibrahimovic's absence will be felt. More so off it.

If Ibrahimovic does indeed leave. And Wayne Rooney, as expected, follows suit. That's over 1100 games of senior experience driving away from the Carrington carpark. 1100! Never to be seen again. And that's why Mourinho has had to go back to the drawing board.

Amongst all the talk of £175 million double raids for strikers and £190 million spends on Brazilians, don't be surprised if there's one - even two - out-of-the-box Bosmans ushered into the home dressing room this summer.

"Good people, good boys and committed people," Mourinho said of his squad last week. "I think they missed happiness, they missed trust, they missed belief, they missed this extra bit that brings resilience, that brings you fight."

He went onto say that "fight" has been rediscovered this season. But with Ibrahimovic and Rooney now on their way out, Mourinho knows this reawakening can quickly lurch back into mediocre lethargy without someone - on the pitch - driving the team forward.

In his one season in England, Ibrahmovic has been a revelation. And his goals will be difficult to replace. But it's in the dressing room and on the Carrington training pitch where the Swede will leave the biggest void. And this is where his knee setback will truly be felt. You simply can't overestimate how much an impact Ibrahimovic has made acting as Mourinho's lieutenant this season.

Would this United squad, sans the Swede, be still in a position to challenge for Champions League qualification - on two fronts? The goals are one thing. But as Arsene Wenger has told friends, "United would lucky to be 12th", without Ibrahimovic's influence across the club.

And Mourinho knows this. He knows his squad lack (speaking of Wenger) leaders. Patrice Evra, now of Olympique Marseille, told us as much only last week.

The former United captain let it all hang out, speaking on French radio. Mourinho wanted him back in January. He was ready to return. But the move was blocked by the higher ups at United, so instead he agreed to leave Juventus for OM. But they're still in contact, says Evra. Exchanging texts with Mourinho is now a regular thing.

On the pitch, Evra's best days are behind him. Yet, Mourinho pushed to bring the Frenchman back midseason. Why? Because of experience. Leadership. A winner's mentality. And this was all attempted before Ibrahimovic broke down. Mourinho knows he has a problem...

Many have scoffed at the prospect of John Terry, the departing Chelsea captain, being reunited with Mourinho at Old Trafford. And to be fair, it could well be a 'floater' by the press. Mourinho has barely said a word about Terry, despite his relationship with the Blues centre-half. While the stars do appear to align, it's difficult seeing Terry agree to such a move when he's seeking regular football. And at Mourinho's end of the table, in terms of strengthening his centre-half options he has other plans.

It's up front where the bolter could arrive. We all know how Mourinho works. Everything is calculated. Nothing's off the cuff. Every word uttered in public has a motive behind it.

So when he says of Jermain Defoe,"If you look at Zlatan, why can't the top teams look at Jermain?" and "Jermain is really fit. He is still very fast. He is intuitive. In his movements, in his shots, he's a child… he doesn't look 30-something", these aren't just some throw away lines.

Sunderland are down. Defoe is available. The tea totaller. The diet obsessive. The pro, at 34, still playing some of the best football of his career. An example for young players. A an arm-around-the-shoulder leader. We could go on... and you can be sure this will have all been running through the mind of Mourinho over recent months.

Defoe's the Bosman. A striker like no other on the books at United. A character for the likes of Marcus Rashford and Axel Tuanzebe to look up to. And a player capable - with his finishing - of making a difference in this current United team.

He couldn't get Evra in January. But Defoe is available. Don't be surprised seeing Mourinho offer the veteran a dream chance to close out his career on the biggest stage of all.