Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is resigned to waiting until January to strengthen his attack.

The Times says Ferguson was concerned by a potential lack of attacking personnel even before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's announcement yesterday, having put out feelers last week through a handful of trusted agents, with Dimitar Berbatov, of Tottenham Hotspur, his principal target.

United are aware that Nicolas Anelka could be available from Bolton Wanderers for about £8 million and that there is a chance of luring either Obafemi Martins or, intriguingly, Michael Owen from Newcastle United. All three have been discussed at Old Trafford during the summer, with Anelka the subject of a tentative and informal inquiry to Bolton in May, but Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz, his assistant, are not convinced of the merits of signing any of them.