Man Utd consider Ighalo and Slimani moves

Manchester United have been linked with loan moves for Islam Slimani and Odion Ighalo.

United need players to cover for the injured Marcus Rashford. The 22-year-old forward suffered a stress fracture in the FA Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, and he could be out of action for two months, with some speculation he might be out of action until the end of the season, possibly putting his place in Euro 2020 in England at risk.

The club are also suffering with injuries to Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba, with both midfielders set to be out for a couple of months, leaving them with just Fred, Nemanja Matic and Andreas Pereira to call upon.

United had been linked with Bruno Fernandes of Sporting Lisbon but the move appears to have broken down after co-owner Joel Glazer pulled the plug over the scale of the proposed transfer fee for the 25-year-old Portuguese playmaker. Up until midweek, Sporting had expected to finalise a sale for Fernandes before the end of the January transfer window, and there could be the chance of a move for other midfielders on a temporary arrangement.

However, focus appears to have shifted to secure players to support the attack with Slimani one option. The 31-year-old Algerian striker is on loan at Monaco, but he is owned by parent club Leicester City. Brendan Rodgers has expressed doubt that a transfer to release Slimani from Monaco would be possible, but presumably a deal could be done if both sides are compensated for a re-arranged deal. A £4 million fee has been mooted.

Another option is former Watford striker Ighalo, who now plays for Shanghai Greenland Shenua. The 30-year-old Nigerian striker could be brought in until the end of the season but it would be unlikely that either player would arrive on permanent deals.