Ten Hag confirms Man Utd transfer desire; Romano reveals they have ‘scouted’ World Cup star

Lewis Oldham
Man Utd boss Ten Hag

Erik ten Hag has confirmed that he wants Manchester United to sign a new striker during the January transfer window to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Dutchman has done pretty well since taking over at Man Utd during the summer.

He has a tough job on his hands at Old Trafford and his situation has been made more complex by their striker issues.

Ronaldo missed much of pre-season and he was a bit-part player under Ten Hag as United were able to play better without the 37-year-old.

The Portugal star has now left United after he spoke out against Ten Hag and the Glazer family.

Ten Hag seemed to be fair with Ronaldo, who acted petulantly as he looked to engineer himself a move away from the club.

He has finally got his wish and while this is for the best for all involved, it does leave United short of options in attack.

The Red Devils have Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial to choose from. The latter has struggled with injuries this term but both have performed well under Ten Hag when they have been in the team.

Man Utd are set to be linked with several forwards in the coming weeks and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that they have ‘scouted’ Goncalo Ramos.

‘Manchester United are considering many options, we know about Cody Gakpo but there are also others. They are still in internal discussions to decide the best option and then they will proceed,’ Romano wrote for Caught Offside.

‘They had their scouts watch Gonçalo Ramos with Benfica many times, but the same happened with other clubs.’

Ramos made the headlines at the World Cup after he started ahead of Ronaldo for Portugal’s round of 16 tie against Switzerland. The 21-year-old netted a hat-trick in the 6-1 victory.

Ten Hag has now admitted that he wants United to sign a new forward in January.

“Yes, but only when we find the right player,” Ten Hag explained.

“We do everything that is in our power, so I do research on every opportunity that comes. We do everything we can if that opportunity will be there.”

Ten Hag’s comments came as United finalised their mid-season training camp in Spain with a 1-0 defeat against Real Betis.

He thinks the integration of some young players during the camp will help Man Utd in the future.

“I think we had a good week, there was a good spirit. The lads worked really well, really hard,” Ten Hag said (via United’s official website).

“Our main objective from the week was better fitness and I think we did it, we made the progress there.

“Also, we integrated some young lads, integrated them in the way of play and the way of playing with intensity so they can step up. With some of them, I was quite happy, so that is a big win for the future.”

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