Ron Atkinson believes Man Utd should have signed Harry Kane in 2023.placeholder image
Ron Atkinson believes Man Utd should have signed Harry Kane in 2023. | Getty Images
Ron Atkinson believes Man Utd missed a golden opportunity two summer ago
Manchester United’s 2023 summer transfer window is one very few fans of the football club look back on with great fondness. It came at a time of great promise when the Red Devils had just finished third in the league table, re-establishing themselves as a Champions League club and came in the aftermath of a Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle United in February which had ended the club’s six-year wait for silverware.
Many felt that United had all the makings of a strong team with perhaps even the potential to challenge for a title under Erik ten Hag. However, despite the signings of Mason Mount, Andre Onana and perhaps most notably Rasmus Højlund for £72m, the club finished five places lower in the league table and only made it into Europe by winning the FA Cup against Manchester City.
It laid the foundations for one of the club’s worst seasons to date as they fell to 15th in the league table the following season and arguably started the downward spiral that would cost Erik ten Hag his job. But Ron Atkinson, a man that has experienced the pressures of managing at Old Trafford, believes things could have easily been very different for the Red Devils if they had made one particular signing.
Ron Atkinson says Man Utd should have signed Harry Kane
Former Red Devils boss Ron Atkinson, who managed the club before Alex Ferguson, believes United should have signed Harry Kane in the summer of 2023. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, he explained: “They could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by signing a decent goalscorer. I would have brought in Harry Kane. I know Levy wanted £100 million for him. Okay, then pay £120 million.
“With him up front, the midfield would always know where to put the ball, and the defence would have played better. Goalscorers make everything better.”
Kane scored a combined total of 280 in 435 matches for Tottenham while also making 63 assists. He scored 213 of those in the Premier League and is statistically the second highest scorer of all-time; just 47 behind Alan Shearer’s 260.
He joined Bayern Munich for £86m in 2023 and has since scored 85 in 96 matches while contributing 26 assists and ending his long wait for silverware with a Bundesliga title. United ultimately signed Rasmus Hojlund for around £72m and have struggled to get the best out of the Dane, with him scoring 26 in 95 across all competitions, and alarmingly just four in 32 league games last term.
What does the future hold for Rasmus Hojlund?
Manchester United have won the battle to sign RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko, with Newcastle United losing out with the Magpies seemingly desperate for a centre forward. Sesko’s arrival could potentially open the door to a Hojlund exit, according to reports from BBC Sport, with some sources claiming that they’ll accept an offer of around £30m for the ex-Atlanta frontman.
"Have United been providing him with the chances and the opportunities? The answer to that is no," said ex-Blackburn striker Chris Sutton.
“But also, you have to consider whether he has done well enough. Has he ever been a prolific goalscorer? That would be the nagging doubt and is something I have debated with United fans. It is not to say he doesn't have time on his side, and his attitude is good too."
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