Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf will be the only new addition to Sir Alex Ferguson's squad in January, after the Reds boss rul…

Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf will be the only new addition to Sir Alex Ferguson's squad in January, after the Reds boss ruled out any further signings in the mid-season transfer window.

The 22-year-old forward joined from Norwegian side Molde in the summer and recently arrived at Old Trafford after gaining a work permit. He has been given the no.32 shirt and can now play in the Premier League and Carling Cup.

Sir Alex is impressed with what he has seen so far. The boss says: "Diouf has adapted very well to our training regime and has looked very impressive. He’s quick, very good in the air and a good striker of the ball. Overall, he’s a really good centre-forward and he’ll play a part."

But Diouf will not be joined by any other new arrivals this month because Sir Alex feels there is not enough value in bringing in players halfway through a campaign.

"It’s still the case – I can’t see any real diamonds," he said. "We’ve got the money – there’s no question about that. I just don’t see that player that can make a difference to us in terms of value and availability."

United have made successful signings in January before - Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic, after slow starts, have become two of Sir Alex's finest ever purchases, while Andy Cole was a big hit after arriving in January 1995.

But there have been others, like Diego Forlan and Louis Saha who, despite having their moments, couldn't ultimately make the grade long-term.

"There have been success stories for us, but you can’t guarantee that in January because you’re looking for players to possibly play in Europe and that is limited because of other teams' involvement in Europe. So there’s never a certain success rate."

Diouf the only new arrival

8TH JAN 2010

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