-Credit:Aurelien Meunier – PSG/PSG via Getty Images.
With a little over three weeks remaining in the January transfer window, Manchester United are expected to try and commit as much energy as possible into their search for a striker.
The Manchester Evening News understands United are open to recruiting a centre-forward this month amid their long-term goalscoring troubles. The Reds have scored just 23 times in their opening 20 Premier League matches this season.
United have not ruled out the possibility of attempting to try and lure Paris Saint-Germain ace Randal Kolo Muani to Old Trafford on loan before the February 3 deadline.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo makes Man United ‘request’ as January transfer ‘agreed’
READ MORE: Manchester United agree first loan departure of January transfer window
Head coach Ruben Amorim, ahead of the 2-2 draw with Liverpool last weekend, said United will “try to do something” in this month’s window in regards to incomings.
Generally speaking, loan deals get done in the latter stages of the window. However, if United find themselves fortunate enough to sign Kolo Muani, or indeed any other player, before January 23, the player will not be eligible to feature in the club’s final two matches of their Europa League league phase campaign.
United host Rangers at Old Trafford on January 23 before facing FCSB in Romania on January 30. The Reds are currently seventh in the league phase table and the top eight automatically qualify for the last-16 in March.
Manchester United must comply with Europa League squad rules. -Credit:Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images.
Europa League rules state that clubs are not allowed to make changes to their squad until the league phase has concluded and preparations are being made ahead of the knockout stages. United named a 25-man Europa League squad ahead of the competition getting under way back in September.
Should United advance to the last-16, they can then add up to three new players to their UEFA squad for the remainder of the competition. Exits are set to dictate United’s chances of signing new players, of course, meaning any new additions would almost certainly do a straight swap with those who are currently in the club’s Europa League squad.
Players are free to be added to the squad even if they have represented another club in any UEFA competition already this season.
However, United will still have to ensure they comply with a key Europa League rule. The rules are a little more restrictive with a difference between ‘club-trained’ players and ‘association-trained’ players within their homegrown allowance.
United, for example, did not have to include the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho in their main Europa League squad for the league phase as they qualify via the B List, which applies to Under-21 players who have spent two years at the club.
Furthermore, United most reserve eight places in their 25-man squad for homegrown players and no club may have more than four ‘association-trained players’ listed in these eight places on List A.