COMMENT: He didn't outright demand it. But it was there, at front of mind. Erik ten Hag, after yet another setback for his mix-and-match Manchester United, made a public call for a new striker signing in January...

For United fans, defeat at the City Ground was disappointing, but it cannot be claimed unexpected. Forest are a decent team. In front of their own fans. Under the floodlights. They'll always be competitive, whether it's United or even Manchester City. But that's not to excuse this result. United were - again - inconsistent. Disjointed. And for the umpteenth time failed to put together a strong 90 minutes.

So Forest picked them off. It took until the final minutes for the outstanding Morgan Gibbs-White to guide home the winner - courtesy of Carrington graduate Anthony Elanga. But if there was to be a winner on Saturday night, it was only ever going to be the hosts.

In the aftermath, Ten Hag attempted to trot out the injuries excuse. But he knew, as soon as he said it, that it's wearing thin. "...I think to blame everything doesn't matter to the fans," Ten Hag hastily added. "They don't want to hear this. They want to have us winning and that is what we have to serve them."

For Ten Hag, the key for Saturday was the withdrawal of Rasmus Hojlund before kickoff. The Dane ruled out due to illness. Fresh from his winner against Aston Villa, there was an expectation he would take such momentum into the Forest game. To be denied that, for Ten Hag, was a blow.

"We haven't played with the same team in a row. We had to change again so every time we have to swap our team. That doesn't help or support the routines of the team and it explains why you are so inconsistent.

"You want to build on the last result but we had to change our striker..."

Everything Ten Hag said in the aftermath was correct. You really can't argue against it. But he'll also know relying so much on the availability of Hojlund is simply not good enough. And there's plenty of blame to be shared for this situation.

It's been a common complaint for this column. But it still needs to be reinforced. United relying on a young Dane with no Premier League experience as their prime centre-forward was ridiculous. It was always set up for failure. And the crazy thing is, the top brass knew this would be the case this time last year...

As we've said in past columns, Ten Hag and United's higher ups knew they had a problem as soon as Cristiano Ronaldo was jettisoned. They were short upfront. Not on the flanks, nor on the inside positions. But at the top apex. United had no centre-forward. There was nothing in the senior squad and very little coming through the academy. It was why Ten Hag made that trip to Haaksbergen to convince Wout Weghorst on a short break to cut his loan with Besiktas and return to England.

A few months later, well before the end of the season, a decision was made. United would enter the summer market with the aim of signing TWO centre-forwards. Not strikers. Not inside forwards. But out-and-out centre-forwards. One would be a senior, established prospect at the peak of his powers. The other a project. One with potential who could be gradually brought through. And they had their names - the priorities being Harry Kane, then of Tottenham, and the young Atalanta tyro Rasmus Hojlund.

But as the market swung open, the goalposts were moved. As we say, there's a lot of blame to go around. The tactics of the Glazer family's sale of the club. The dragging out of negotiations. It all bled into the club's market plans and available budget. Suddenly ambitions were tempered. Wings were clipped. And it was Hojlund - and only Hojlund - who was brought in.

So they began the season, even with Hojlund, short upfront. In the Dane, despite his £60m price-tag, United had bought promise. Potential. But also aggression and attitude. Something long identified by Ten Hag's staff as lacking amongst United's young players.

But Hojlund was no guarantee. Indeed, for this column, we'd liken the 20 year-old to an academy graduate. His price-tag apart, the Dane really should be considered in the same category as Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. And managed the same way.

But he's been denied such patience by United's poor squad planning. He's suffered. As has the team and his manager. Like Garnacho and Mainoo, Hojlund should be pulled in and out of games. Given time to adjust and learn. Instead, he's having to lead an attack carrying a £60m weight across shoulders. And it's doing him no good at all.

So when Ten Hag points to Hojlund's absence after another defeat, we must say it's a hollow excuse. Both he and Hojlund should never have found themselves in such a situation. From the Glazers, to John Murtough and Richard Arnold, through to Ten Hag. They knew the problem. They even drew up a bloody plan to solve it. But failing to act - for whatever reason - has gone a long way to contributing to this 90-year worst campaign.

And nothing will change until the senior version of Rasmus Hojlund is found.