Fresh Faces On The Horizon

Sir Alex Ferguson may have opted not to further strengthen his squad in the dying embers of the summer transfer season, but there are plenty of reinforcements on the horizon.

As well as the impending return of squad members like Rio Ferdinand, Edwin van der Sar, Rafael and Owen Hargreaves, new signing Gabriel Obertan is recovering well from injury, and young forwards Adem Ljajic and Mame Biram Diouf may both arrive in January.

Speaking to October's edition of Inside United magazine, Sir Alex said: "Gabriel has had a spine problem, but I think he’ll be back in about a month to six weeks’ time. We’re taking our time with him because we want him back and at 100 per cent. He’s very quick, he can play both sides or through the middle and he brings a real versatility to us.

"At 16 he was one of the outstanding young talents in Europe, and he’s said to us that over this last year and a half he’s been playing with this back injury and no-one thought about getting a scan. We expect big things from him. He’s a nice boy, speaks good English and should have no problem settling in."

Ljajic and Diouf were both loaned back to their former clubs – Partizan Belgrade and FK Molde respectively – and have been closely monitored by United staff. Both may be brought to bolster the Reds' ranks during the course of the season.

"Diouf will stay there [Molde] until January, at which point we’ll make a decision over whether to apply for a work permit for him or leave him there for the full season," said Sir Alex.

"He’s a powerful boy, quick as hell, good in the air, 21 years of age and he’s done very well at Molde. Playing in Norway is similar to playing here in terms of climate, so we’ve not got an issue with that either.

"Adem Ljajic is another player who we have on loan, at Partizan Belgrade, and he’ll join us in January. He’s doing very well. He was the star of the tournament for Serbia at the UEFA Under-19 Championships over the summer."