Manchester United linked to Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani but will they gamble?

Just as many fans feared at the start of the season, Manchester United’s squad is looking light after a few injuries. Marcus Rashford, the player of the season, is the latest casualty and likely to be out for months with a back problem. He will be missed, just as Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba are. No player started more games than Rashford before his injury, but what do United do now he’s unavailable?

Sad though it sounds for a club of their stature, they’re in the chase for a Uefa Champions League place rather than for the Champions League. They’ll play in the FA Cup this Sunday and the Europa League resumes next month. United’s season may be rocky and inconsistent, but it’s still very much alive.

The Old Trafford club have tried to bring in Sporting Lisbon’s goal scoring midfielder Bruno Fernandes, but their valuation differs greatly from the €80 million (US$88.7 million) wanted by the Portuguese club for a player without a long line of suitors.

United can’t call Alexis Sanchez back from his loan in Italy as there is no recall option in the agreement. Not that the Chilean would appear to be the answer because he failed notoriously in his time in Manchester. And unlike former goalscorer Romelu Lukaku, who also departed before this season, Sanchez is not thriving in Italy.

United are left with Anthony Martial, who has suffered injuries but started 13 of the last 14 league games. An in-form Martial is needed in a forward role.

Then there’s Mason Greenwood, another excellent finisher. The 18-year-old striker is set to play more regularly, which wouldn't be hard since he’s started two league games.

Juan Mata, who is playing well, can contribute but he’s hardly a prolific goalscorer, nor the best he’s ever been. Dan James hasn’t scored since August, while Jesse Lingard doesn't score. In fact, United’s midfield seldom score, which is why Pogba, with more goals than any player last term, is missed for his goals as much as his all-round game.

So what do United do? After four defeats in a month, the atmosphere among fans is despairing. Those fans have limited to little faith in the ability of leading executive Ed Woodward to bring players to the club.

Former player Gary Neville this week opined: “If you don’t lose your job for overseeing that investment, that wage bill and putting that team out on the pitch, something is really wrong.”

United have the second highest wage bill in the world but they’re so far from being the best. The club has always said the close season will remain the focus of the recruitment, which would be fine if all was going well.

The club has also asked for patience from fans, which they’re getting at matches, but it’s not unconditional and there were spontaneous anti Woodward and Glazer chants at the last home league game against Norwich. There could be more at home to Burnley on Wednesday.

They won’t solve the striker issue. United were interested in Pablo Dybala at the start of the season and Mario Mandzukic too. Neither came. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to bring in the players he wants and not be rushed into getting players he doesn’t, but he needs reinforcements now.

He’s being advised by people outside the club whom he respects to get players in, but United are struggling to do so. After too many failures, they think they are making an admirable stance against excessive demands and agent’s fees, but clubs have always have long had to sup with the devil if they want the top talents.

Missing out on Erland Haaland, who came on for his new club Borussia Dortmund and scored a hat-trick at the weekend, hardly helps matters in hindsight.

There are other limited options. Top clubs don’t want to sell their best strikers in the middle of the season, so getting a player on loan could be the best bet. Solskjaer is not against this, especially given the heavy game load. The two-week winter break at the start of February will follow two months where United are set to play an astonishing 19 games.

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With fans desperate for new blood, what else can United do?

Paris St Germain will let Edison Cavani, 33 next month, leave for €20 million. There are reasons for that price tag: his age, his wages and he’s not been in the PSG team, in part because of injuries. United spoke to Cavani in 2014 but were staggered by his wage demands.

“He probably wants to be given the keys to Old Trafford and the training ground too” was one assessment from a member of the football staff who thought he’d be a good signing. Cavani wasn’t willing to compromise. Could he now have a similar impact to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the last striker who came from Paris St Germain, because then he’d be well worth it? There are other clubs interested in him.

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United haven’t needed a striker this urgently since 1992. Then, Sheffield Wednesday’s David Hirst was the name on the newspaper back pages every day. After much speculation, he stayed put, and Alex Ferguson took advantage of a chance conversation with the Leeds manager which led to the signing of Eric Cantona.

That worked superbly, but are United willingly to hold their nose and pay what Sporting want or take a gamble elsewhere on a forward? Or both?