It always seems like tempting fate when looking ahead to plans after possible promotion. It’s never wise to count your chickens before they’ve hatched.

Leeds United and Daniel Farke know this after last year, and they won’t be getting ahead of themselves. Yet there will be a word document somewhere at Thorp Arch with an idealistic plan of how the next few years look under the 49ers.

Promotion will be top of the agenda. Stadium expansion might also be on there somewhere too. It would not be outlandish to suggest that United’s fate this season dictates the pace of how fast the blueprints are put together.

Recruitment will, meanwhile, have an eye on the summer already. Having overseen a quiet January with no money spent, and actually a little gained, Leeds have a little more room within Financial Fair Play limits. They will need it if they do go up.

While this squad is the best in the division on paper – and on the field, currently – there are major doubts over whether this set of players can stay up in the top-flight. A major overhaul in many areas would be needed.

One area that might be less of a concern is right-back. Jayden Bogle has been in terrific form in recent months, so much so that Farke said he had been his best player over the festive period.

Not only is he so obviously effective going forward – with four goals and two assists to his name – but his defensive work should also not be ignored. When he loses a duel or is beaten, it registers in the mind because of how infrequent this is.

Bogle is not quite bulletproof but he is the best any second division side can hope for. Even Farke believes he has the best right-back in the Championship.

Speaking at Thorp Arch on Monday, the manager said: “In this [right-back] position we have lots of competition. Jayden is probably the standout performer in this position in the league.”

Leeds have certainly got their money’s worth from their £5million summer signing. No other Championship right-back has scored more than his four goals while his two assists also makes him one of the top defenders for overall goal contributions.

The 24-year-old has 50 Premier League appearances under his belt and he is sure to build on that tally before long. Leeds will just hope this happens while he is still on their books.

If United do go up, then fans could see an influx of new faces, a number of whom could become line-up regulars. There would still be several familiar names though – Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Daniel James to name three.

If Bogle continues his form and upwards trajectory, he will be on that list too. But first, eyes down and focus on the task in hand. Because not going up could have fatal ramifications for United’s long-term strategy plans.

Harry Maguire wasn’t wrong when he pointed out, “Obviously, we can’t be starting games like that at Old Trafford.” The problem is Manchester United have been doing exactly that for a long time now.

The last time they scored a first-half goal from open play at home was Rasmus Hojlund against Nottingham Forest on December 7. They still lost. The only goal in the opening 45 minutes since then is Bruno Fernandes’ penalty against Brighton. That was the only shot on target for United that day, in another game they lost.

Old Trafford lost its aura a long time ago. The Theatre of Dreams is only helping opposition players and supporters sleep soundly at night. United are finding it hard to play in front of their own fans, and there probably isn’t a team in the land who would be worried about facing Ruben Amorim’s team in M16 at the moment.

“I think the run of results at Old Trafford has been so poor that I think now the boys have lost maybe that confidence of playing in front of a crowd and things,” Maguire said after another scrappy Old Trafford win.

“It’s something we need to address because if we want to be a successful team we’ve got to make it hard for teams to come here and play and the first half wasn’t good.”

Maguire’s injury-time header saved United’s blushes against Leicester City in the FA Cup. The only games they’ve won at home recently have required late interventions, and the opposition – in the Foxes, Rangers and Southampton – have hardly been elite. Far from it.

Those three wins sandwich five defeats in the last eight games at home. Amorim himself has spoken regularly about the anxiousness and nerves his team and the supporters are feeling at home.

There is certainly a disconnect at the moment between supporters and players. There was frustration in the stands in the first half against Leicester at the slow pace of play and then boos at half-time when they went in behind.

Maguire identified it as a loss of confidence playing in front of a crowd, and that can be a particularly acute problem at Old Trafford, where gates of 74,000 add to the tension. This is a crowd raised on exciting, attacking football as well. At the moment what they are seeing is risk-averse.

It is also easy for the opposition to defend against. In a way, that is the inverse problem encountered by Erik ten Hag, whose United side were far too open and easy to attack against. Either way the end result is the same, and that is a disappointing record at Old Trafford.

United have lost 16 games at home since the start of last season and conceded three on 11 occasions. It is desperately poor and has seeped into this side’s psyche.

Fixing that won’t be easy. In Sir Alex Ferguson’s days, United would often have teams beaten in the tunnel at Old Trafford. The intimidation factor was very real.

Now, that is long gone. Opponents eye up their opposite number with relish, and it’s easy to pick apart this team’s weaknesses, whether under Ten Hag or Amorim.

The latter will hope that he can finally put his stamp on this side in the summer through an impressive transfer window and the chance to enjoy a long block of training sessions. Until then, United are likely to limp on at home.

Every team they have played at home since early December has troubled them, but Nottingham Forest and Newcastle are the highest-ranked sides in that run. Bournemouth, Brighton and Crystal Palace have all strolled to routine victories at Old Trafford.

Arsenal and Manchester City are two of the next three visitors in the league. They will be looking forward to the chance to cause some real damage, especially if confidence remains low in the United ranks, and that could take a while to fix.

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