Man Utd manager Ten Hag confirms striker search in January
LONDON – Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that he is still looking to add to his attacking options in January after missing out on Cody Gakpo, who joined rivals Liverpool this week.
He was speaking on Friday ahead of their trip to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday.
“I think we have a squad. We have the players who are matching our criteria. But with all the games that are coming, it is tough competition in all the leagues,” he said.
“You want to be in all the leagues and keep playing in all the leagues by winning games and Cups as well. So, you need players, you need numbers to cover. And we need good players, not only numbers.
“You need quality players to cover that and also... you need competition to make (different) tactical choices. So, we are looking for the right player for our squad and (he) has to match our sporting criteria but also our financial criteria.”
After a poor start to the season, United are fifth, one point behind Tottenham Hotspur (30), who have played a game more. Wolves are in 18th on 13 points, one behind Everton.
Ten Hag’s men returned from the World Cup break with a 2-0 win over Burnley in the League Cup, while they also impressed in a 3-0 Premier League win in midweek over Nottingham Forest.
United have now won nine, drawn two and lost four of their 15 league matches this season, and have just one defeat in their last 14 games in all competitions.
There have been many positives after opening their 2022-23 campaign with two straight defeats. They now have the fifth-best away record this campaign, picking up 13 points from eight matches.
However, ten Hag will also be wary that his team have conceded 16 times on their travels.
United will be missing the injured Diogo Dalot and Jadon Sancho through fitness issues, while it remains to be seen if Victor Lindelof and Scott McTominay have recovered from illness.
World Cup-winning centre-back Lisandro Martinez has returned to training and he could possibly start alongside Raphael Varane in defence.
Meanwhile, Julen Lopetegui’s reign as the new Wolves manager started with two wins – a 2-0 victory over Gillingham in the League Cup and a 2-1 win at Everton on Boxing Day.
The Spaniard will be encouraged by the fact that the last time the two sides met, Wolves won 1-0 at Old Trafford after fighting till the end and scoring through an 82nd-minute winner from Joao Moutinho.
However, Wolves have also scored the least number of goals among all 20 EPL teams this season with just 10.
“We must not think about the table now. I repeat it a lot, but the next three points are key for us,” said Lopetegui of fighting relegation.
“We have to arrive at these matches like finals and put this feeling in each match. This is the more important thing for me.
“We are confident that we are able to do better. We have to improve a lot to change the situation, we have to believe and be a close team.
“We have to adapt quickly and show everyone that we can do better to get better results.”
Wolves will be missing the injured Chiquinho, Pedro Neto and Sasa Kalajdzic, while Daniel Podence is a major doubt after picking up a leg issue against Everton. - AFP
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