Crouch points finger at Ten Hag over Man Utd mistake - 'I know who I'd pick'
Harry Kane can deliver an instant reminder to Manchester United fans of just what they missed out on when they failed to sign him in the summer.
And the England captain, whose Bayern Munich side host United as the two sides kick off their Champions League bids on Wednesday, can fire his new team all the way to the title. That’s according to former Tottenham, Liverpool and England striker turned TNT pundit Peter Crouch.
A man who, like many observers, was surprised that United didn’t make a move for Kane in the summer when it became apparent that he was leaving Spurs. Instead, the Red Devils moved for Rasmus Hojlund, paying Italian side Atalanta £72million for the Dane.
That paved the way for Bayern’s £100m move to take the Premier League ’s second-highest goalscorer of all time from Spurs. And as the two strikers and their teams prepare for battle this week, Crouch revealed his belief that United went for the wrong man.
He said: “They have to give Hojlund time but with Harry Kane you’re buying a ready-made article, and in this day and age you don’t get time as a manager. If I was a manager and I had a choice between both of them, I know who I’d pick.
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“I know it’s someone who is going to create goals and score goals straight away, as he’s proving at Bayern. He’s going to be an absolute legend there. From the people you speak to, he’s already a massive fan favourite in the league and not just at Bayern.
“His signing has also elevated Bayern to a position where you can say they are in the Champions League mix now, he’s that good, and he would have done the same for United. My opinion couldn’t be higher of Harry Kane.
Harry Kane has impressed since joining Bayern Munich (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)“Bayern are not favourites, Manchester City are clear favourites, and there are other teams in and around it, the usual faces. But signing Harry Kane does put them in the mix because he’s a match-winner.
“They have always had a top side but losing Robert Lewandowski, they lost the 30, 40, 50-goal-a-season man, but they have replaced him with the exact same and that puts them in the mix.”
United and Bayern’s group also features Turkish giants Galatasaray and Danish big boys FC Copenhagen. And while it’s important for their Champions League bid that Erik ten Hag’s men to get off to a good start, Crouch believes it’s important, too, that they do well against Bayern for their campaign as a whole after a mixed start on the domestic front.
He added: “It does feel like one of those games that could either give the club a platform or be a problem for them if they lose. It would feel like the inconsistencies of United carry on.
“And it’s such a prestigious game. We all remember the 1999 final, which was absolutely amazing, and you just feel like that United side and this one is chalk and cheese.
“They have made strides, he is a good manager, Ten Hag, but if they go and lose badly it is going to leave a sour taste in the fans’ mouths and there is a potential for that to happen. But they still have match-winners — obviously watching Marcus Rashford the other night and Bruno Fernandes for their countries, they still have players who can hurt Bayern.”
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