Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has revealed that he will consider bringing in new players to the team this month, but only if he thinks that they will improve the team significantly.

The Red Devils have had a frustrating campaign as they fell out of the Champions League at the group stage and have only won once in their last nine games.

Numerous names, including Felipe Anderson and Gareth Bale, have been linked with switches to Old Trafford, but Van Gaal has admitted that he prefers not to spend in mid-season.

In his matchday programme notes ahead of today's FA Cup third-round match against Sheffield United, Van Gaal wrote: "January brings the opening of the transfer window and, as I have already seen, we have been linked to a host of players.

"I don't see January as the ideal time to do business as the players cannot then have the pre-season that I feel they need to be integrated into the squad, both on and off the pitch.

"However, if I and the coaches feel that something can be done to improve the current squad then that is something we will look at if the opportunity does arise."

Van Gaal is rumoured to have been handed a £200m transfer kitty for this month.