'Will get you 30 goals': Erik ten Hag confirms Man Utd wanted to sign world-class star

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that the club wanted to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur during last summer’s transfer window.

The Red Devils were heavily linked with the England international last summer amid suggestions that they wanted to bring in a marquee striker ahead of the 2023/24 season.

However, the club were unable to reach an agreement with Spurs who preferred to sell him abroad.

Kane eventually made the move to Bayern Munich where he has registered a stunning tally of 43 goals and 11 assists from just 43 appearances across all competitions.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Ten Hag has now revealed that Kane was his first-choice for the striker’s role, considering he has the ability to score 30 goals per season.

The failure to sign him turned the club’s attention of Hojlund due to his talent. Ten Hag is confident that the Dane can reach those heights, but he needs time to develop.

He said in an interview with Sky Sports’ Gary Neville: “We have had some choices made with talents like Rasmus Hojlund. I can see a striker who already proved it, who we want to sign and we couldn’t get him. And then we went to Rasmus because he’s a talent.”

When asked if he meant Harry Kane: “Yes, and you know Harry Kane will get you 30 goals. I think Rasmus will get there, but he needs time. It’s not fair to assess him the same as Harry Kane. I would never compare two players because they are very different.

“But with Hojlund, I think we had the biggest potential in the striker position last summer and we are very happy with him. But he also needs time to adapt and we are very pleased he showed his assets in scoring goals.”

United have had a tough Premier League campaign and they are currently sixth in the table. Had the club signed Kane last summer, they could have been in the Champions League places.

Looking at the positives, Ten Hag has been able to develop some of the club graduates. Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho have become mainstays over the course of the season.

Hojlund has also got the chance to gain valuable Premier League experience. He has netted 14 goals in his debut campaign with eight of those coming in the English top-flight.

The Dane was in an exceptional league run with seven goals from six league games at one stage, but he unfortunately picked up a muscle injury which ceased the momentum.

United still need to handle his workload at the current stage of his career. A quality back-up striker alongside Hojlund would be ideal for him to develop without extra pressure.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com