Manchester United might be forced to repeat Odion Ighalo plan in January transfer window

Manchester United prefer to do transfer business in the summer because the January window can be difficult to manoeuvre.

United have tended not to splash the cash in January and Wout Weghorst, Marcel Sabitzer, and Jack Butland were signed on temporary deals at the beginning of this year to bolster Erik ten Hag's squad.

In the year before that, there were no arrivals in the mid-season window and another quiet January is expected, although it will be an opportunity for peripheral squad figures like Donny van de Beek to depart.

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United are closing in on a deal with Eintracht Frankfurt that would see Van de Beek join the Bundesliga side on loan, with an option to make the deal permanent for £12.5million should he prove to be a success.

Any incomings must be offset by sales and Anthony Martial is another player who could leave, especially since he's approaching the final six months of his contract and could leave for free in the summer.

However, a sale of Martial would leave Rasmus Hojlund as the only recognised striker and the club already has a lack of cover in that position without green-lighting an exit for someone on the books.

United need to sign another striker instead of letting one go and it's logical to keep Martial until the expiry of his deal, despite the January window being the last chance to secure a transfer fee for him.

Another striker should be signed to support Hojlund and the Frenchman, who have just seven goals between them this season. That should have happened in the summer but a gamble was taken on Hojlund.

Hojlund is the first choice in his position and his first six months have gone as most predicted; the