Sir Alex Ferguson's men have picked up just two points from their first three games, and despite dominating Sunday's derby they still lost 1-0 at City.
The Reds have made an enquiry about Newcastle's Nigerian forward Martins, report The Sun, after the lively 22-year-old scored a brace on the opening day against Bolton.
Meanwhile the Daily Star report that United are ready to pursue their interest in Bolton's French striker Nicolas Anelka, who has managed two goals already this season despite the Trotters' poor start.
Who would you like to see United go for? Have your say.
Log on later today to read M.E.N. United reporter Stuart Mathieson's view on the options. Tweet
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I think this is all press talk, and I don't think we have the money.
Yeah yeah apparently we've spent 50m+ this year, but it breaks down as roughly 32.6m (plus Tevez) outlay this summer, of which we have recouped 18m so far. Add to that we made a profit last year.
I'm not downtrodden on this, I just think with our financial situation we're not going to go around splashing the cash for a quick fix. And that's what it would be.
Can anyone tell me that Martins or Anelka would be first choice if we had fully fit Rooney, Saha or Tevez?
Saha is the only conundrum: either we accept that he will never be fit again and replace him, or we stick with him. Surely patience is running out. On his day he's exactly the striker we need, but who knows when that will be.
Spurs and Sunderland, we'll beat them both, by that time Ronnie and (hopefully) Saha will be back and all this striker mess will be history (I hope).
Heinze plus dosh for the younger martins please, hell let's buy anelka as well to replace ole and the certain to be injured again soon saha
According to the Mail this morning Anelka was offered to United last week but we declined.
I believe Fergie will not buy whilst Saha is so close to fitness and Ronnie is just a couple of games away from returning.
We have have Spurs and Sunderland next - both at home. We have the opportunity to get 6 pointss
and by then the squad should be coming together with Anderson, Ole and the Nev almost there.
Yes I too would like Anelka but I can't see it happening.
I don't think Martins is the answer - not good enough for Newcastle, not good enough for us.
Martins is the better one i think
anelks is good tho
its a hard one
Gilly
Yes we should sign Anelka because he is taller and brillant when he is on fire. He has been waiting to play European Football again and will fire with us. Martins is too small like Tevez, Rooney we dont need another one of those type of strikers.
Can't see the Elk going to utd as fergie and him would clash. Besides he's already played for the top team in Manchester, can't see him taking a backward step. Also someone wrote he would struggle to get a starting line up over Saha, Do you watch football mate.
People seem to keep talking about replacing Saha. To me, the biggest question mark is over Ole.
Ole missed much more games than Saha last season, is in his mid-thirties, is having problems with the same knee, repeatedly, and was told he might never play football again, over a year ago.
If SAF intends on sticking with his preference for four strikers in his squad, he needs some good news about Ole's knee and fast. If the prognosis is poor then he might well need to dip into the transfer market.
manchester united have rejected the chanchester Uce to sign Bolton Wanderers striker Nicolas Anelka, it has been revealed.
Despite their injury problems hanging over Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson chose to resist a bid for Anelka, says the Daily Mail.
Anelka was offered to Manchester United last week but they turned down the opportunity to sign a player who only joined Bolton a year ago in an £8m deal from Fenerbahce.
Manchester United are set to launch a fresh bid for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov.
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The Times says the Bulgarian is believed to be unhappy with the rotation system that Martin Jol intends to implement for his strikers this season. And there is a suspicion that Berbatov may have been unsettled by the speculation linking him with a £20 million move to Old Trafford - particularly as he has suffered least in Jol's policy of switching his front men.
United made a big play for Berbatov at the start of the summer, but were told he was not for sale. Since then, Sir Alex Ferguson has seen his forward line struggle to score goals while Wayne Rooney has suffered a foot injury. The club would ideally do business even before the match at home to Tottenham on Sunday.
Well at least Michael Owen wasn't mentioned hopefully that rumours dead. Maybe if we had decent scouts they could come up with a hidden gem instead of all the usual suspects.
I would have taken Anelka, given that if anyone can handle a player's ego Fergie can. Martins is a decent alternative. Both are on form. Ole will retire at the end of the season and Saha is going to struggle for fitness. I don't think Waterford Crystal do refunds so we're stuck with him I'm afraid. Anyone who says we don't need a striker must be blind. Fergie should have realised this long ago.
Mick Ole shouldnt have been considered one of the 4 strikers anyway. He's been out for so long that anything from him should have been viewed simply as a bonus.
I like Saha and think, when fit, he's a top player, but agree with DC that a decision has to be made about him. If we stick with him, then we're not gonna buy a striker now really, not if we're gonna carry on with 1 up front. That would mean, when fit, Rooney, Tevez, Saha, AN Other and Ole, with 1 place available, and with Rooney pretty much guaranteed his place, its tougher again for the others.
If Berbatov doesnt like the rotation at Spurs then he aint gonna come to us. Wasnt the rumour that he didnt come in the first place because he thought he mightnt get enough games?
The other option of course is to bring someone in, which i think means calling it a day with Saha. As for who between Anelka and Martins? I think Anelka is much the better player. Martins has the advantage in terms of youth but Anelka is only 28 i think and is far from finished. I'd rather see us take a punt on Huntelaar than either of those 2 though
I think we'll be sticking with what we have though. After bringing in 4 big signings it would be unprecedented for us to sign another player, for whatever reason
i would prefer anelka over martins due to height and speed and also ability! ole is past it! saha cant be relied on! he is good when fit but it is rare when he is fit!
do like berb but aint he out with a groin injury at the min?
Steve, talking of rumours did anyone else read that bit in the recent RI about gossip coming out of Newcastle during the summer and before the Tevez saga started that Owen had failed a medical at OT? Anelka would do fine for me but surely this would have been sown up before the season kicking off? Because you'd have to have been blind last season not to have seen the impact of having Saha or any out and out striker up front. Do we have the funds? Another rumour was Gill meeting with Anelka's agent again before the Tevez saga? Was Carlos even a second choice?
I personally think Anelka will be a better choice over Martins simply because of his experience, Martins is a great player and so is Rooney and Tevez and these three are in the same age group, so if we are looking for an option for the unfit Saha then its just right that we go straight for experience rather than the future, cos at the end of the day its the results now that matters, and talking about the future Anderson, Rooney and Tevez fills that spot fine already. Go on United go get him before City does and lets put all these early nightmares behind us...cos the worst thing that could have happened is to loose against city, now i have being off work for two days now cos im simply trying to save my face. Im sure most United fans around the city are going through the same too.
Bit of a dilemma, this. I can't believe the Glazers want to shell out more cash for another player. But if we don't start banging in the goals pronto, then by the time Rooney gets back we'll be so far off the pace that we'll be fighting to make fourth place, never mind the title. The cost of buying Anelka, Martins or whoever would be small change compared to missing out on next season's CL. With Rooney, Tevez and Saha all fit and on top of their game, we shouldn't really need another striker. But I don't think anyone can even make a guess at how many games we're going to get out of Saha this season, and OGS isn't really an option for starting games. To be honest, I don't think buying Anelka or Martins would be anything other than a stop-gap measure: anyone out there remember the days when out of near desperation we'd buy strikers like Wyn or Ron Davis? We shouldn't have to be going down that road again. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but with Saha's condition so uncertain, and Tevez needing time to settle in, I don't know why SAF didn't tell Rossi he could go to La Liga if he really wanted to, but not until January.
We have 11 footballers on the pitch.With or without a striker we should get results.The players out there need to be determined to get the ball between the sticks.
mick saf has not considered ole to be good enough to start in our first 11 since 1998 the same year he wanted to sell him to spurs. the lad has been a great servant for us but he is only good enough to come on for the last 10 mins. as for the fragile one well anyone who pinns their hopes on him being fit is a bit of a fool because he will continually let us down. you dont like to hear it but saf has made a big gamble with our striking options and at the moment its backfired. you were only telling us all a few weeks that we had a back up striker in giggs i trust that you have now changed your mind on that one. played 9 games scored 2 goals in open play is a very worrying statistic.
The conumdrum of Saha...when fit he is a decent player but how many games are we going to get out of him - 1, 10, 20? Nobody knows and therein lies the problem; between Saha and Ole you have two players constantly beset by injury and to rely on either of them, let alone both, as one of our "top four" strikers is foolhardy at best. We should have offloaded Saha last season, weren't Lyon sniffing around?
Rooney and Tevez are both deeper lying strikers so aren't going to be in the thick of it scoring the tap in's, I'm not saying we need another Ruud but we definitely do need another "up top" striker in the mould of Saha just not made of glass - Anelka for me would be a great, and relatively inexpensive signing, Huntelaar would be another for me but his lack of experience would mean a longer settling in period which we really cant afford after our dismal (in terms of points, not play) start to the season.
It's a damn shame that Rossi went when he did!
Well since the comments come from 'The Star' and 'The Sun' they must be true ..........
Give the youngsters a chance, don't panic buy, unless SAF knows Saha is out long term.
RCH yeh I remember that but maybe it was coming more from his agent who knows. I'm not calling the manager it's his call & his risk taking paid off last year. But if not covering for Saha whilst committing huge to Anderson- who may not play much this season- costs us the PL & CL then it'll be a big error. I think he has to get another out and out striker.
Chris Oxford,
Anelka? You must be joking; this comedian thinks football owes him a living. If we're talking seriously we need to look overseas -
Spain to be precise. Time for Sir Alex to eat humble pie - although I fear Van Ruud would
give the boss short shrift.
Crouch for Heinze? Anyone?
Graham: I think Anelka is still perceived as being the "spolit brat" he was when 21 years old but I've not heard him complaining for a while now.
As for bringing back Ruud, well, I would love it but just cant see it happening somehow!
whats this nonsense about saha, hes bloody useless.... jamie rednapp on sky said united last season were great and dominant with saha, yeh bleedin rite...
Saha whenever he comes on the pitch he does absolutley nutin, i cant remember a game last season that he influenced, we spent 17million on a certain anderson, he may be young but give him playing time now while we need a striker and he mite just be the perfect role for this, deres no point lettin him rot on the bench when deres a place rite dere....
United were short up front when Larson came on a loan deal last season. What has changed since then?