United have been heavily reliant on Rasmus Hojlund this season but their £72 million summer signing from Atalanta is now set to be sidelined for at least two weeks due to a muscle injury.
With Anthony Martial also injured, Ten Hag is expected to give 19-year-old academy forward Omari Forson his first Premier League start for their clash at home to Fulham on Saturday.
Ten Hag says he was pushing for United to add a new striker to his squad in January but claims financial restrictions ruled out the possibility of a deal.
‘First of all, striker options are the most difficult to fill, especially at our level,’ Ten Hag said.
‘We had two strikers. I get it about Anthony Martial, but he has done for us last season great things.
‘So he’s also on a high payment, in this club. So when you bring another one in, you strike him out. So there are all arguments not to do it. Then we have Marcus Rashford, who can also play very good in the front position. So we have actually three strikers in our squad.
‘Then when I got the news about Anthony Martial at the start of January, I really tried to get another striker in. But because we are vulnerable there, FFP was the thing, we couldn’t do it.
‘We worked out other options how to fill this in and how to deal in the moment Rasmus Hojlund wouldn’t be available. We have options in our squad.’
Ten Hag also defended the decision to keep Martial last summer, despite doubts over his fitness.
‘Yeah, but I see the performances from last year. We played last year our best football with Anthony Martial as a striker,’ Ten Hag said.
When it was suggested that Martial made less than 30 appearances across all competitions last season, Ten Hag replied: ‘I think you can’t ignore the facts and, I knew that as well.
‘But you do everything to get him fit, to keep him fit. When we have given him the opportunities he contributes. For instance, he played a good game against Everton.
But yeah it’s too less good performances to contribute to our squad. And, we should have expected more. That is the truth.
‘But to bring in another striker, that means you rule him totally out in the start of the season. So I don’t think that’s the right decision.’
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