Erik ten Hag reveals he tried to bolster one ‘vulnerable’ position in January but couldn’t because of FFP

Erik ten Hag has revealed that he tried to bolster his forward department in January after learning of Anthony Martial’s injury setback.

The Manchester United forward was dealt yet another blow in his long list of injury woes since signing for the club in 2015, this time being made to undergo surgery on a groin complaint that sees him sidelined for around 10 weeks; the club announced his layoff on January 24.

It left just Rasmus Hojlund as the only senior recognised striker to get the job done solely and get the job done he has – the 21-year-old has netted seven times in six consecutive Premier League matches, four of which have been wins that he’s directly contributed to. 

Unfortunately, it was confirmed today that the Dane has suffered a calf issue and is therefore out of action for two to three weeks, so Ten Hag has no choice but to rely on his other attacking players or youngsters to get the job done in Hojlund’s absence.

United’s hands were tied in January window

Both players’ injuries only highlight further just how dire United’s forward depth is, hence why Ten Hag was keen to add reinforcements over the winter, but he was ultimately unable to do so.

“When I got the news about Anthony Martial, at the start of January, I really tried to get another striker in because, yeah, we are vulnerable there,” Ten Hag told reporters in Friday’s press conference, via ManUtd.com. “But FFP was the thing. We couldn’t do it. And so yeah we worked out other options how to fill this in and how to deal with the moment Rasmus Hojlund wouldn’t be available. And there are, and we have, options in our squad to fill it in.”