The manager of Manchester United claims that the club’s rebuilding project will be hampered by their inability to sign their top summer targets, like Kane.
Erik ten Hag says Manchester United’s title hopes have been delayed by transfer setbacks (Image: Sky Sports)
The failure of Erik ten Hag’s attempt to sign Harry Kane in the summer will postpone Manchester United’s hopes of winning the title in the future, he has admitted.
Kane was United’s top summer target, but after Tottenham rejected their interest before he left for Bayern Munich, they were forced to look elsewhere. After deciding to focus on long-term investment, the team approved a £72 million deal for Rasmus Hojlund, a 21-year-old striker for Atalanta.
Under Ten Hag, United has spent over £400 million in two summers, leaving them with little to no margin for error in the ensuing January transfer windows due to Premier League spending caps.
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When Ten Hag lost out on first-choice transfer Kane in the summer of 2023, he had expressed his frustration at not being able to spend during the winter window. The Dutchman claims that during his rule, he has had to come to terms with not being able to sign elite players.
He said to Sky Sports, “This club can only have outstanding players because the expectations are so high.” “Manchester United is a subject of opinion, and opinions can only be formed by exceptional players.
Every game we play has expectations attached to it, and you can only live up to those expectations if you have those exceptional players. However, we haven’t always been able to get the players we wanted in the past ten years or so.
However, you must develop and come to terms with the fact that talent will be added rather than players who have already shown their mettle. We’ve made some decisions involving gifted individuals like Rasmus Hojlund.
“We wanted to sign this striker, who has already proven himself, but we were unable to sign him. We then proceeded to Rasmus due to his talent.”
Ten Hag, who is fighting for his job under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new coaching and hiring policies, made it clear that Hojlund is not being compared to England’s all-time top scorer, Harry Kane, and that he needs more time to grow.
But he cautioned that United’s return to the top will take longer than expected because there hasn’t been much transfer demand in the market in the past ten years, including during his own leadership.
Ten Hag continued, reiterating his prior interest in transferring for Kane: “Yeah, and you know Harry Kane will get you 30 goals. Though Rasmus needs more time, I believe he will succeed. To evaluate him in the same way as Harry Kane is unfair. Because two players are so different from one another, I would never compare them.
“However, we are thrilled with Hojlund, who I believe had the most potential among strikers last summer. However, he also needs time to adjust, and we are happy that he demonstrated his skills by scoring goals.
“He had a great run of scoring goals in a lot of games after he demonstrated it, but prior to and following that, he experienced some physical problems, which is typical for a developing young player. However, you have to acknowledge that it has a detrimental effect on the team’s performance.
“After that, you return to the supporters and commentators, who either don’t comprehend this or don’t want to.” We need time, but that’s how Man United is evaluated; they only see the outcome.
“You have to accept the process is going slower and you can’t then expect to straight [away] compete for titles in the Champions League and Premier League.”
