Erik ten Hag confirms Manchester United wanted to sign a striker in January

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has said that "it is no secret" that the Red Devils wanted to sign a new centre-forward during the January transfer window.

Anthony Martial has not played since the start of December and will be missing until at least April, having undergone a groin operation.

Rasmus Hojlund, who has scored in each of his last three Premier League appearances, is therefore the only senior striker available to Ten Hag.

Man United were linked with a number of forwards during the winter market, with the club believed to have explored the possibility of bringing in a player on loan, but the rules surrounding Financial Fair Play ultimately prevented them from being able to make an addition.

Ten Hag has said that his club "really needed" to sign another striker after news of Martial's operation, but it was not a possibility due to the restrictions.

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"I think it is no secret that we wanted a striker. With the injury to Anthony Martial, we really needed a back-up there. But it was not possible and we had to watch the FFP rules," he told reporters during his press conference ahead of Sunday's clash with West Ham.

"There are some disadvantages with FFP [Financial Fair Play]. To make space for FFP, you have to sell players and that is actually hard, you have to sell good players. I don't think this is the way you build a team."

Ten Hag said that Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo and Omari Forson are the options to play through the middle when Hojlund is either rested or not available.

"We have Omari, we have Amad Diallo. We also have Marcus Rashford, who can play there, but I think for the rest of the positions, all of them are well occupied. We have to be a little bit creative when it comes to the number nine position," the Dutchman added.

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Hojlund had to wait until December 26 to score his first Premier League goal, but the Denmark international has now managed a goal and an assist in his last two league encounters against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 20-year-old also netted against Newport County in the FA Cup last weekend, with his record this season now standing at nine goals in 27 appearances.

Martial is out of contract at the end of June and widely expected to leave on a free transfer, with a new striker set to be a priority for Man United during the summer transfer window.

Hojlund is Man United's leading goalscorer this term, while Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay are joint-second on the list with seven each.