Erik Ten Hag seeking quality cover to boost Manchester United firepower

Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United need to add to their striking options in the January transfer window to ensure they have enough cover for the busy second half of the campaign.

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford both scored in the 3-0 mid-week win over Nottingham Forest to show there are still plenty of goals in the United squad after Cristiano Ronaldo's exit, but Ten Hag is acutely aware of the lack of depth in his group.

With a fixture rush coming as clubs make up for lost time after the winter World Cup, that is an issue the United boss is keen to address.

"I think we have a squad, we have players who are matching our criteria," he said. "But all the games are coming. It's a tough competition, in all the leagues, we want to be also in all the leagues and keep playing in all the leagues and in the cups as well.

"So we need players and we need numbers to cover. So we need good players, not just the numbers, we need quality players to cover. And also we need competition and we need to know also that we can make tactical choices.

"So we are looking for the right player for our squad, but it has to match our sporting criteria, definitely, but also some financial criteria."

United had been keen on signing Cody Gapko in the summer, but the Netherlands forward has instead joined rivals Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven.

And after spending just over €250 million in the summer, United may need to look to the loan market rather than making a permanent signing.

Alejandro Garnacho once again made an impact from the bench on Tuesday to suggest he can have a greater role to play in the second half of the campaign.

The 18-year-old has contributed three goals and three assists in 13 appearances to date this season and Ten Hag, who takes his