Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted there is little prospect of being able to acquire any of his leading transfer targets in January as the Manchester United manager sought to downplay hopes of a mid-season fix.

Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, Leicester City playmaker James Maddison and Red Bull Salzburg striker Erling Haaland, who worked with Solskjaer at Molde, are among the players United are watching.

But Solskjaer is adamant he will not be forced into making any panic buys and is prepared to see out the season with the squad he has unless a deal or a loan option presents itself.

“It is not about ‘x’ amount of money [we have to spend], it is about who do we think will be good for the club in the long-term, not just three or four months,” the United manager said.

Asked if those players will be available in January, Solskjaer added: “Probably not because that is the thing - it is in January.

“Not many clubs want to sell players that they would otherwise want to keep in January. Maybe one or two could be a loan deal but that is not a big money thing, it is just to help the team. But we are getting players back and we are looking at what can be available for us.”