Man Utd considered Brighton striker Murray before landing Ighalo (Mail)

Manchester United considered a late window move for Glenn Murray before ending their January search for a striker by landing Odion Ighalo.

United's attempts to bolster their frontline last week led them to weigh up the credentials of a long list of frontmen, with Brighton veteran Murray among the surprise names.

Identifying strikers who could be prised out of their clubs in the final days of the window was one of their biggest obstacles as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer short-term sought cover following Marcus Rashford's back injury and an alternative type of forward to the ones he already had. Murray's situation at Brighton made him a potential candidate.

Murray, a United fan, had received limited game time following Neal Maupay's summer arrival, starting just one league game since the start of September before Saturday's 3-3 draw for the Seagulls at West Ham.

Murray scored the equaliser to earn Brighton, earning praise for his display and the problems he caused West Ham's defence in what Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright called a 'typical No.9s performance.'

Celtic, Newcastle and Aston Villa had also been alerted by Murray's lack of game time this season and were among the sides interested in him during January.

United eventually managed to agree a deal for former Watford frontman Ighalo, 30, who arrived in Manchester over the weekend after agreeing a loan until the end of the season from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua.

Murray meanwhile, signed a new one-year deal on Monday, extending his stay at Brighton, where he already has legendary status after scoring 111 times in 278 games across two spells, until June 2021.

Murray received assurances about his role in Graham Potter's plans and the Seagulls manager said: 'Everyone knows what Glenn brings to the club, and he's an important member of the squad - on and off the pitch - and he showed that in abundance on Saturday at West Ham.

'I've always said he's got a big part to play here. He's happy and settled, he loves this club, and he's been the ultimate professional on and off the pitch.