David Moyes promised Glazer dollars to reshape Manchester United

DAVID Moyes will be given substantial funds to reshape his Manchester United squad.

Manchester United's Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa takes on West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth McAuley at Old Trafford before being substituted

DAVID Moyes will be given substantial funds to reshape his Manchester United squad.

The Glazer family, the American owners of the club, recognise that the manager requires world-class reinforcements to help to maintain Sir Alex Ferguson's legacy of success.

The United manager is expected to make a foray into the transfer market in January providing leading targets become available as the English Premier League champions look to put the frustrations of a miserable summer behind them.

United have endured their worst start to a season for 24 years after successive league defeats against Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion and will hope their problems do not mount when they face Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine in the Champions League tomorrow.

The torrid start has brought into sharp focus United's failings in the summer, when they missed out on half a dozen players and paid over the odds for Marouane Fellaini. The club's American owners, though, insist that United can compete for the best players.

The Glazers are thought to share Moyes's view that the squad needs strengthening in key areas and will not balk at spending well in excess of pounds 100 million to ensure they remain successful in the coming years.

Moyes suggested after the 4-1 capitulation away to City that he needed at least two players who could immediately improve the team as well as claiming that the club were short of the "five or six world-class players" he believes are required to stand a realistic chance of winning the Champions League.

The Glazers accept that the Premier League is likely to be far more competitive this season given the acute under-achievements of City and Chelsea last term and the apparent improvements made by teams such as Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool among others.

There is also recognition that United's triumph by an 11-point margin does not present an accurate reflection of the challenge facing Moyes as he embarks on a rebuilding process that is likely to involve several high-profile arrivals and departures. United's shortcomings in midfield have been well documented and several players who provided a bedrock of success for Ferguson are well into their thirties.

Rio Ferdinand is likely to be one casualty as the 34-year-old centre half - out of contract in June - is phased out with Moyes eager to promote Phil Jones, whose chances in central defence have been severely limited, in addition to strengthening the back four. Jones or Jonny Evans could partner Nemanja Vidic in central defence against Shakhtar after Ferdinand's struggles against City and West Bromwich.

The future of Shinji Kagawa, the Japan midfielder signed by Ferguson from Borussia Dortmund for a projected 17.6million pounds ($30.55m) last year, is also understood to be in some doubt, especially since Wayne Rooney is first choice in the No 10 role.

Kagawa's troubles continued when he was replaced at half-time in the 2-1 defeat by West Brom - his first league start of the season - and he admitted yesterday that he would have to raise his game if he is to have any chance of staying at Old Trafford.

"I was disappointed (to have been substituted)," he said. "However, I have to take this like some kind of message (from the manager). I need to improve more and more, or I can not survive at this club. I have to take this in a positive light and keep trying to do my best."

Ferguson was usually reluctant to conduct transfer business in January but the club will be happy to break with tradition if Moyes identifies key targets he wants to sign.

United continue to keep tabs on Ander Herrera, whom they have been monitoring for 2 and a half years, but the 25.6m pounds bid they had rejected for the Spain Under-23 midfielder last month was at the upper limit of their valuation. As such, it seems unlikely at this stage that the club would be prepared to meet the 30.2m pounds release clause in his contract with Athletic Bilbao.

Andres Iniesta's situation at Barcelona is being watched from a distance but there is little expectation of the Spain midfielder leaving the Nou Camp. Ilkay Gundogan, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, also has his admirers among United's coaching staff.

It remains to be seen whether United make a renewed effort to buy Leighton Baines or Fabio Coentrao, the Everton and Real Madrid left backs for whom they had bids rejected in the summer, or pursue a younger target, such as Luke Shaw, of Southampton.

Eliaquim Mangala, the highly regarded Porto centre half, is regarded as a potential successor to Ferdinand, although Moyes faces competition from Chelsea, City and several leading European clubs for the 22-year-old, who has a reported euros 45 million release clause in his contract.

United insist they did not panic in the summer, despite failing with bids for Herrera, Daniele De Rossi, the Roma midfielder, and Gareth Bale, who joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur, in addition to Baines and Coentrao, in the final 96 hours of the window after conceding defeat in their protracted attempts to sign Cesc Fabregas, the Barcelona midfielder.

Nonetheless, there is an acceptance that certain things could have been done differently and the club have wondered whether they should have bought Moyes out of his contract with Everton, which would have enabled him to begin work immediately after the season ended on May 19 rather than wait until the start of his deal on July 1.

Although keeping Rooney, the England striker who was the subject of two bids from Chelsea, was a priority, United's only significant addition was Fellaini, for whom they paid Everton 27.5m pounds, four million more than the fee stipulated in a clause in his contract that expired at the end of July.

The Times