Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will not buy a new striker in January as a show of support for Dimitar Berbatov. The Times says Ferguson is almost certain not to sign a high-profile striker in January because he is not ready to give up on Berbatov.

Ferguson has identified Luis Suárez, the highly rated 22-year-old Ajax and Uruguay striker, as a leading target, but while the €50 million (about £45 million) asking price is prohibitive and gives credence to the United manager's belief that there is little value in the market, there is another issue at play.

Almost 15 months since joining United from Tottenham Hotspur for a club-record £30.75 million fee, Berbatov, 29 next month, has still to justify the outlay. But Ferguson is confident that the forward will deliver and believes that if he signed another striker in the next transfer window, the Bulgarian may misinterpret that as a loss of faith in him.