MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson will not be bringing new players to Manchester United during the January transfer window in a bid to ease the club's defensive injury problems, the manager said Monday.

English champions United are currently without seven senior defenders - Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Gary Neville, John O'Shea, Jonny Evans and Rafael da Silva - while goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is also injured.

United lost for the second time in three games when they were well-beaten 3-0 away to Fulham on Saturday and are now four points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.

There had been speculation Ferguson would make emergency signings, although the Scot appears to have ruled out free agent Sol Campbell, the former Arsenal defender, coming to Old Trafford.

And with the bulk of his injured defenders due back in January, Ferguson said he had no need to bolster his squad.

"That has not come onto the agenda," Ferguson told Manchester's Key 103 radio station.

"We hope that Wes Brown will be back in a week or 10 days' time, Rio Ferdinand is improving, Gary Neville is getting there and Rafael Da Silva has now started training.

"We are not so bad and we are not looking at signing players."

United's next league match is away to Hull on December 27 and they are then at home to Wigan three days later.