Celtic’s derby day defeat to Rangers left them only a point above their sworn enemies at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, and Neil Lennon’s side can ill-afford slip ups in the second half of the season.​

Lennon’s men are going for their ninth consecutive Scottish league title but will need to reinforce in January if they are to successfully fend off their Old Firm rivals.

The 2-1 loss at Parkhead exposed Celtic’s problems upfront and striker Odsonne Eduoard – who has 13 league goals – needs a partner to share the workload.

A forward will be the Hoops’ top priority in the transfer window but the defence also requires reinforcements.

Here, 90min takes a look at 5 potential signings that may give Celtic the edge in what promises to be a gripping title race.

Jordan Rhodes (Striker)

Sheffield Wednesday’s striker definitely knows where the goal is and could provide much-needed assistance to Eduoard at the head of Celtic’s attack.

The 29-year-old has found his time on the pitch limited this season but he showed his striking prowess by netting a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest in December.

Rhode’s treble came off the back of 20 months without making an appearance for the Owls and in spite of a recent run in the team, it’s thought Garry Monk may be prepared to offload the striker.

And a move over the border could be the key to reviving Rhodes’ career and help the Scotsman rediscover the goalscoring form that once saw him score 36 league goals for Huddersfield in a single campaign.

Billy Sharp (Striker)

​Sheffield United’s skipper has been prolific throughout his career and would offer an assurance of goals should Lennon convince him to move from the ​​Premier League side.

The 33-year-old will be hard to prize away from Bramall Lane but he has only appeared 10 times in the league this season and he may be in search of a regular starting berth.

Celtic would provide the marksman with a fresh challenge in the latter stages of his career and the lure of Europa League football could prove tempting.

Sharp would bring a wealth of experience to Parkhead and his guaranteed goal output might well fire the Hoops to a 10th title in a row.

Moussa Sissako (Striker)

The PSG defender is under contract for another 18 months but the French champions do not see him as part of their plans and he is reportedly free to leave the club.

According to ​the Scottish Sun, the 19-year-old is on Celtic’s radar and Lennon could be tempted to make a move for Sissako in January.

Sissako is yet to make a first-team appearance for PSG but has starred in their youth side and is thought to be a prospect with great potential.

And in spite of his age, and lack of experience, Celtic fans will be quick to point towards 19-year-old Jeremie Frimpong who has taken to life at Parkhead with consummate ease this season.

Shane Long (Striker)

The Irishman’s contract runs out in the summer and there are questions over whether ​Southampton will offer the 32-year-old another deal.

Long has been in and out of the team since the start of the campaign and is yet to open his Premier League account for the Saints this season.

But in spite of his failings to find the net this term, his track record speaks for itself and he has struck 17 times for Republic Ireland during his career.

If Long were to move to Glasgow, he wouldn’t be the first Saints star to make the switch and would be joining up with former teammate Fraser Forster at Parkhead.

Andraz Sporar (Striker)

It is no secret of Celtic’s desire to bring the Slovakian striker to Scotland, and the Hoops’ hierarchy has already held talks with his club Slovan Bratislava over a possible move.

The 25-year-old has been in red hot form this season, having scored 12 times in 11 league games for Bratislava.

Sporar was also a stand-out during his side’s Europa League campaign which included two impressive performances against ​Wolves and saw him net six goals in the competition.

Bratislava value the striker at £5m and although Celtic are in pole position to land him, Dynamo Kiev and Championship side Bristol City are also interested, according to ​the Daily Record.

From the Emirates Stadium – So there we have it. Manchester United’s run of poor form against teams in the bottom half of the Premier League continues.

Manchester United’s record of being consistently inconsistent continues.

Another season of frustration for Manchester United continues.

Defeat to Arsenal on New Year’s Day at the Emirates was United’s sixth such result of the campaign, leaving them sitting fifth in the ​Premier League – they have other results to thank for that – and five points back from fourth-placed Chelsea. But while their league position has improved with positive results over the last month, there are still no tangible signs of development in style just over a year into the managerial reign of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Losing an opener to Nicolas Pepe – who put in his best performance in an Arsenal shirt, typically – set the tone. Lax defending allowed the opportunity and the strike saw United’s only known “game-plan” under the Norwegian undone within eight minutes.

All this United side are known for is being able to counter attack with pace. And handing Arsenal the lead so early meant any space between the lines that they need to succeed in matches against teams of similar or greater stature was immediately shut down.

Condense the space, stop United. Limit them to ponderous, slow possession which is easy to defend. United do not possess the craft to break down teams even as porous as Arsenal, who had before this fixture kept just three clean sheets in 20 Premier League outings this term. Even Scott McTominay’s goal in September’s reverse fixture came from an Arsenal corner.

​Arsenal of course deserve credit for rising to the occasion and implementing a game plan conceived by new head coach Mikel Arteta, who earned his first win, but United supporters will be unable to look past the shortcomings that are so obvious and recognisable rearing their heads yet again.

A lack of ideas and a lack of ball players meant United never stood a chance after losing the first goal. United have a chance this month – the transfer window opened earlier today – to attempt to address some of their shortcomings in personnel and remedy problems like these, though every indication from their manager to date is that they won’t panic or rush in the market.

But there are plenty of players out there, and United must work faster than they have been in recent markets.

This lack of quality meant United were unable to dig themselves out of the hole they fell into after wilting under the famous Emirates atmosphere early on, and to a team of mentality giants who simply wanted it more.

It is missed opportunity after missed opportunity for United, with no signs of change.

This is far from terminal for their hopes of reaching the top four come the end of the season, but they only remain in with a chance of doing so because of the shortcomings of rival teams. 

Wolves, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United – all teams currently in the mix for that fourth spot – dropped points on the first day of the decade. And while it’s clear that the team who manage to be the most consistent over the next 17 games will end up earning the spot, there doesn’t seem to be one willing or able to grab the opportunity with both hands.

United must do all they can in January to not let this opportunity continue to slip through their fingers.