Man Utd boss Ten Hag rues lack of striker signing in January،
Erik ten Hag says it's “no secret” he wants to sign a striker in January and admits he may have to be “creative” to solve Manchester United's lack of depth up front.
Ten Hag said Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) prevented the club from signing a striker in the January window.
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The loss of Anthony Martial for over two months due to a groin injury left Ten Hag with only Rasmus Højlund as their team's only senior striker for the second half of the season.
“I think it's no secret that I wanted an extra striker because with Martial's injury we don't really have any reinforcement there,” Ten Hag said.
“It was not possible because we have to match the FFP [PSR] rules. We have Omari [Forson]we have Amad Diallo, or of course we have [Marcus] Rashford who can play there. The other positions are occupied but we have to be a little creative at the No. 9 position.”
United hope that by allowing a number of players, including Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho, to leave the club in the January window, they will have more leeway to sign players without breaching PSR regulations.
Ten Hag, however, says he is not entirely in favor of the rules, which he says force clubs to get rid of “good players”.
“There are some disadvantages with FFP [PSR],” he said.
“To make room for FFP [PSR]you have to sell players and you have to sell good players and I don't think that's how you build a team.
Ten Hag hope to have Sofyan Amrabat available for West Ham's visit to Old Trafford on Sunday, with the midfielder expected to train with the team on Saturday following his stint at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco.
Victor Lindelöf is also back from injury after training with the team on Wednesday but Mason Mount, who has not played since November, is still out.
“He [Mount] was in trouble from the second game of the season,” Ten Hag said.
“He comes back for a while and then got injured again, so it's not great. It's very frustrating for him and I really feel for him. I really want to be there for him. He had expectations so high and I had high expectations and I'm sure he will be a very good player for us, but first and foremost what's important now is that we had to do it safely so that he or in good shape.
“Secure in the process, step by step, don't force it and hopefully by the end of the season he can stay fit and work his way into the team, at least play a role in his team .”
