MANCHESTER UNITED will be asked to loan West Ham the world’s most expensive teenager, Anthony Martial, or their highly-rated England star, Marcus Rashford, in January.
The Hammers have given up on trying to lure Michy Batshuayi away from Chelsea, with the reserve striker the only serious contender to replace Diego Costa who is suspended for their Boxing Day clash with Bournemouth.
And so, the Telegraph reports Slaven Bilic will try to tempt two of Jose Mourinho’s fringe forwards away from Old Trafford where he will be able to guarantee them regular Premier League action at the London Stadium.
United sold 21-year-old striker Ashley Fletcher to West Ham in the summer so there is an open line of communication and a friendly face in the dressing room were either of the two United prospects fancy a change of scenery.
And, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues to lead the line well ahead of two young talents – with a threat to play on until he is 50 – chances for their development will be limited.
West Ham linked themselves to a number of high-profile summer transfer targets like Ibrahimovic, Batshuayi and Carlos Bacca.
But they ended up with untried Fletcher, Andre Ayew, Jonathan Calleri and the misfiring Simeone Zaza and have struggled for goals while Andy Carroll has been injured.
Two 1-0 Premier League wins on the spin – thanks to Mark Noble penalties – have lifted spirits around the club and pressure off Bilic’s shoulders but goal scoring remains a problem they need to address.
