Erik ten Hag can unleash new Manchester United forward line with January wildcard

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is keeping the faith. Someone has to.

Having enjoyed relative success in his first 12 months at the helm, guiding United back into the Champions League and ending their six-year trophy hoodoo, things have gone from bad to worse for the Dutchman so far this season. While Ten Hag is by no means blameless, there are mitigating factors at play.

United have been hit harder than most when it comes to injuries and they were without 10 players for the Nottingham Forest defeat. It cannot have been easy either to navigate the club through unclear waters amid their now-resolved ownership situation.

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Investment from Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been formalised and subject to Premier League ratification, United can start to map out plans for the future on and off the pitch. In the short-term though, Ten Hag will not be boosted with a cash injection to improve his squad in the January transfer window.

He will have to be creative in the market and outgoings are expected to be a priority. The Dutchman is keeping his proverbial glass half-full and feels new faces will make a big difference - even if they are not new signings.

"I think we are very optimistic," said Ten Hag of United's aspirations before the Forest game. "When the players return and now the luck is a little bit on our side in the matter of injuries then we have five or six new signings in January."

Quite a few of those returnees, such as Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Casemiro will surely improve United. When it comes to former Chelsea star Mason Mount and his credentials to wear their iconic No.7