United's new management team certainly look as though they mean business, writes Jon Murray.

Joe Kinnear and Dave Kemp have been impressive in their dealings this week to try to bring in new players, and on the training ground Kemp and Alan McLeary have been thoroughly professional, and working extremely hard, in their bid to improve the players they have.

By next Monday, United might have five new players! They were hoping last night to complete the signing of experienced striker Phil Gray, the Northern Ireland international, in a permanent deal, plus two other loan players, midfielder Keith Andrews from Wolves and one from Barnsley, while two other triallists are set to arrive on Monday.

It's been a long time since United signed a player that just about all their fans have heard of, but that's certainly the case with Gray, whom Kinnear says he has known for many years.

Belfast-born Gray began his career at Tottenham, Kinnear's old club, having signed apprentice forms for them in 1986. He was given his Spurs debut by David Pleat and made ten appearances for them, also being loaned out to Barnsley and Fulham, and scoring once during his month at Craven Cottage.

In 1991 he moved to Luton Town for 275,000 and became a big hit at Kenilworth Road, striking 26 goals in 63 starts for the Hatters, a record which earned him an 800,000 move to Sunderland in 1993.

Capped at schoolboy, youth, under 21 and in the full national side by Northern Ireland, Gray found the net 41 times in 127 games for Sunderland before taking a 'Bosman' by moving to French club Nantes on a free transfer during the 1996 close season.

A forward with an aggressive and inventive style, Gray had a spell in Holland with Fortuna Sittard before a 400,000 move back to Britain, and back to his old club Luton where he became a vital member of the side.

He scored 27 more goals for the Hatters in his second spell, from 86 starts, until the end of last season when he was out of contract rejecting a new offer from Lennie Lawrence and opting to join newly-promoted Burnley.

One concern is that last season he had a succession of hamstring problems. But he underwent a vigorous medical in Oxford yesterday.

He has lost the pace he had earlier in his career, but at 32 will have much to offer an Oxford side badly in need of an experienced goal-getter. Burly and strong on the ball, he is good at holding the ball up, taking it and giving it, and could be just what United need.