United have arguably the strongest squad in the English top flight and Mourinho has plenty of options, especially up front. His first choice is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede has made a huge impact at Old Trafford, scoring 26 goals in all competitions. Ibrahimovic will miss Saturday's match against West Bromwich Albion as the striker serves his ban for elbowing Bournemouth's Tyrone Mings, but Ibra's absence will give Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard a chance to shine.

Since Ibrahimovic arrived at Old Trafford, Rashford and Lingard have had limited first-team opportunities. Rashford, in particular, has had his development slowed down. The 19-year-old played the last half-hour of England's 2-0 victory over Lithuania and looked comfortable at the international level. Yet he's seen surprisingly little playing time for United. This season he has made 22 Premier League appearances, but half of them have been from the substitutes bench.

Almost immediately after Ibrahimovic signed at Old Trafford last summer, Mourinho began to downplay Rashford's readiness for first-team football. The Portuguese often referred to the youngster as "the kid," highlighting his lack of experience. Rashford emerged last season during Louis van Gaal's tenure as manager. Rashford's pace, direct running and eye for goal suggested that he was on the verge of a breakout campaign. Under Mourinho, though, that progression has been stifled.

The same can be said of Lingard and Anthony Martial, both of whom have found it hard to claim a regular first-team slot. The three forwards, who would be first choices at most other Premier League teams, have struggled to find a rhythm and have had much less impact than they did last season.

In part, this struggle is because of the way Ibrahimovic functions. The 35-year-old is the linchpin of Mourinho's side, and United's system is built to get the best out of their superstar. The Swede slows the game down. His intelligence, power in the penalty area, vision and skill guarantee that he's the first name on the team sheet, but Mourinho has failed to blend the striker's prodigious talent with the youthful pace in the squad.

Most opponents are comfortable playing a high back line against United because a side built around Ibrahimovic will not run into the space behind the back four. When the man from Malmo, Sweden, is missing the team look very different.

In the first two games of his suspension, United were away to Chelsea in the FA Cup and played Middlesbrough at the Riverside in the Premier League. In the 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, Rashford was ill but was used as a lone striker because of an injury crisis. The youngster ran the channels intelligently on a frustrating night, even after the Red Devils went down to 10 men when Ander Herrera was sent off. Rashford also showed a glimpse of his explosiveness when he turned Chelsea's David Luiz near the halfway line and looked set to equalize before keeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save. Chelsea immediately became more cautious; Luiz sat deeper and was less aggressive in challenges high up the field.

At Middlesbrough, Rashford and Lingard ran wild. United poured forward at pace and the two strikers terrified the home side's defenders with their speed in United's 3-1 victory. Boro backpedalled in the face of powerful running as their back four were repeatedly stretched to the breaking point. United had a much quicker tempo without Ibrahimovic. The inability to get the right blend of the talisman's genius and the quickness supplied by Rashford, Lingard and Martial has arguably been Mourinho's biggest failure this season.

Marcus Rashford's sporadic use has increased concerns over a possible regression. Jose Mourinho must address it quickly.

Thankfully, all three behind Ibrahimovic have potential for improvement. Lingard is 24 years old and Martial is just 21, but Rashford has the most scope for growth. Mourinho will need all of his strikers as the games in April come thick and fast, though it's unlikely that any one of them will get an extended run in the side while Ibrahimovic is fit.

United's youngsters have been treading water this season, and since Ibrahimovic is likely to stay another season at Old Trafford, the trio can expect more of the same as 2017 turns into 2018. They must look with envy at Tottenham Hotspur, where Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier have been given playing time and responsibility. The Spurs trio have made mistakes but have been given the time to learn on the job.

But right now, Mourinho needs to find a way into next year's Champions League, either by earning a top-four place or winning the Europa League. Much of the attacking responsibility will fall on Ibrahimovic.

If United fail in both competitions, the manager will have serious questions to answer. The first one might be this: Why hasn't he been able to get more out of Rashford?

Arsene Wenger also faces critical April

Another man facing a dangerous April is Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal manager starts the month by playing Manchester City in the league and ends it at White Hart Lane, where Arsenal will play Tottenham Hotspur in a north London derby. In between, Arsenal meet City again in the FA Cup semifinal.

Despite suggestions to the contrary, Wenger has not decided on his future. Results in April (and particularly in these three games) will determine whether he remains at the Emirates. If things go well and Arsenal reclaim a top-four place, the Frenchman will stay at the club. He is 67 and would prefer to remain where he is than start over elsewhere.

But if Arsenal have a disastrous month, he will likely leave. He's reportedly concerned that his players gave up in the 3-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion. If they are no longer putting in the effort for the manager, Wenger's future is untenable.

In short, all the pressure is on the manager, and the club aren't helping by leaving the decision up to Wenger. The men on the Arsenal board are waiting for events to unfold rather than taking the initiative; this lack of support and leadership in the boardroom is echoed in the dressing room.

Wenger has never had a more testing period in England. By May, we will know his fate.

Coleman's injury a byproduct of English football?

Who's to blame for Seamus Coleman's broken leg? The obvious answer is Neil Taylor, whose sliding challenge during Wales' 0-0 draw with Ireland snapped the Everton defender's shin, but the tackle by the Aston Villa man was not unusual.

In England, it's the sort of thing seen on a weekly basis. The pitches are quick, the players more athletic than they have ever been, and the ethos of the sport has become increasingly physical. "Compete for the first ball, win the second ball," is the mantra. Although Coleman's injury was sustained in a World Cup qualifier, this tie owed more to the Premier League and the Championship than to international football.

So who's really to blame for Seamus Coleman's broken leg? It's English football. Unless it slows down, horrific injuries such as this will occur from time to time. Sadly, the game will only get faster and more frantic, and the players will get more powerful. As soon as the memory of Coleman's injury fades, the fans, pundits, players and managers will be back praising the frantic, exciting and physical nature of the Premier League.

A sport played like this does not need evil intent to cause collateral damage.