West Ham boss Slaven Bilic rules out January loan move for Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford

WEST HAM boss Slaven Bilic says there is no truth in reports suggesting he will make a loan move for Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford in the January transfer window.

The arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has seen Rashford reduced to a bit-part player under new boss Jose Mourinho and he has struggled for game time following his breakout season.

Although Bilic admitted that the club could invest in an English player with Premier League experience, the 48-year-old Croatian was quick to dismiss the speculation.

“No way,” Bilic said. “Rashford is very valuable for Manchester United. There’s no way. There’s no way to get him. They have many games, four competitions. He’s playing. So no way. No way.”

The Hammers have also been linked with Juventus full-back Patrice Evra and Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe ahead of their New Year’s Eve clash with Leicester but Bilic is expecting numerous calls from agents around the world ahead of the next window.

He added: “We are the club that is linked with the most players in Europe! Every player that is available, it is always West Ham.

“It’s that time of the year. You have the agents calling. I think we have a good principle. We have chairmen, there’s me and my staff, and we are working quite well.

“Of course, you are bombed with names and everything. When you talk to them, everybody is like (Lionel) Messi or whatever. They are also very cheap, dying to come, and they have a little West Ham tattoo. Not now… but since the school days and all that. You know it’s that time of the year.

“At the end of the day it’s part of the job. If it was during the whole year it would be crazy but then you have it twice a year. It is sometimes too much but sometimes you want it.

“If we were talking about getting players then you cannot get them without agents. So you can’t say I don’t want to talk to them because then you will not get the players.”