Kane leaves Erik ten Hag red-faced after Man Utd sign 'Ruud van Nistelrooy'
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag may be kicking himself that he didn't choose to pursue a move for Harry Kane last summer with more effort.
The Red Devils boss has overseen a mixed start to the season that sees United currently sit sixth in the table. For all of the scrutiny surrounding their defence, it is Ten Hag's attack that has undeniably let the club down so far this season with a feeble 13 goals scored in the league after 12 games played.
For context, that tally means United have bagged the fewest of all the teams in the top 12, while 15th-placed Nottingham Forest have netted one more. As a result, advice dished out to Ten Hag by former United defender Paul Parker last year has not aged particularly well.
At the back end of last season, when it looked like Kane could be on the way out of Tottenham, Parker went public with his claim that United should snub a move for the England captain and try to discover the next big thing. He even suggested trying to unearth someone in the mould of former Red Devils ace Ruud van Nistelrooy.
"I think United are going to have to do their homework and they're going to have to find someone who's got enough drive in them, who wants to score goals, who wants to play for Manchester United, who wants to make his name and become a great for Manchester United," Parker told the Express.
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"A bit like a Ruud van Nistelrooy. Van Nistelrooy was known as a goalscorer but he made his name, he established himself when he came to a big club like Manchester United at the time and he made it. Manchester United put him up there in the limelight.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should United have made more of an effort to sign Kane this summer? Comment below
Harry Kane has enjoyed a memorable start to life at Bayern Munich (Getty Images)"I don't want to hear [Robert] Lewandowski, Harry Kane and all that. United don't need that. They don't need another 30-plus centre-forward at this moment in time. They just need a workaholic, back to basics as such."
Oh, how United did need Kane this season. While United's newest striker, Rasmus Hojlund, has netted a grand total of zero in the Premier League, former Spurs star Kane is netting goals for fun in the Bundesliga after joining Bayern Munich.
The 30-year-old has already bettered the tally that won the Bundesliga Golden Boot last season, sitting on 17 goals in 11 league games as well as another four in the Champions League. That is not to diminish Hojlund's efforts at Old Trafford so far, but at 20 years old and a £72million price tag weighing around his neck, it's not hard to see why the pressure is on the Denmark international.
Kane had just one year left to run on his Spurs deal last summer, but United appeared to struggle to get their big-six rivals into lowering their asking price.
When taking into account that Kane has scored four more goals alone in the German top-flight than United have in the Premier League as a collective, it is hard to argue Parker's case that United didn't need him. Ten Hag was actually pressed for comment on whether he regrets not landing Kane's signature before his side faced off with Bayern in the Champions League.
The United boss opted to keep his cards close to his chest in response, simply claiming: "We have chosen a striker and we are really happy," said Ten Hag. "[Kane] is a great striker, that's clear, and he is a goal-maker.
"Apart from that he has all the conditions, abilities, you want to see. It is a miss for the Premier League absolutely, we want to play the best." Only time will tell if Hojlund can be the man United need, but if he finds the net even half as regularly as Kane, the Red Devils will be just fine.
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