Manchester United's great Andy Cole has insisted that his former side must forfeit Harry Kane's chase but rather aim to bring a younger striker to the team as Erik Ten Hag looks to start his second phase of squad rebuilding.
With a much-needed goal poacher needed up front, Manchester United are heavily linked with multiple strikers ahead of what could be a very busy transfer window for the recruitment team.
Napoli's Victor Oshimen, Benfica's Goncalo Ramos, Salzburg's youngster Benjamin Sesko, Gent, Nigerian striker Gift Orban, and more are reportedly on the Red Devils radar amid the striker's hunt.
Harry Kane's future is reportedly in the balance at Tottenham Hotspur, and his lack of trophies to show for his goalscoring career would motivate him to head for the exit this summer.
The North London club is reportedly expecting around £100 million in bids from interested parties, and Andy Cole thinks that's excessively much for the England international, who turns 30 next summer.
"Manchester United can’t go with a short-term solution again," Cole told William Hill. "They can’t go and spend £80 million or £100 million on Harry Kane."
"In two years’ time, they’ll turn around and say to themselves, "He’s 32; we need to get ourselves another striker'. They can’t afford to find themselves in that position again."
"When you look at the recognized strikers that Manchester United have had, you look at the likes of Robin van Persie, but the crazy thing is that he only stayed for two years, and ever since then it has just been one after another for two years."
"A football club like Manchester United cannot just keep having different strikers for two years at a time; it’s ridiculous. They know now that they have to sign someone who is going to give them five years," he explained.
Dimitar Berbatov, a former Manchester United striker, concurs with Andy Cole from the perspective of the England captain's age. In an interview with Betfred earlier in May, the former Tottenham ace suggested Erik Ten Hag should pick Nigerian sensational Victor Oshimen over the English man, while suggesting a move for Brentford's Ivan Toney would be classic.
"I still believe that Victor Osimhen is the man that Manchester United should be chasing," Berbatov told BetFred.
"He has the speed and the capability of scoring goals that Manchester United need in front of goal, so he’s my number one choice."
"Ivan Toney has had a great season, but I don’t know if he can adapt to the way that Manchester United play football under Erik ten Hag, so that’s why I believe Victor Osimhen should be the priority.
"We don’t know who else Manchester United are going to chase in the transfer market, but they certainly need a player that’s capable of scoring many, many goals," he stated.
"I believe Harry Kane is going to stay at Tottenham, as I don’t believe he will want to tarnish his reputation and legacy at Spurs. There are young players out there who can pledge their future to Manchester United and, importantly, bring goals to the table."
Erik Ten Hag might want to reconsider after rumors alleged he was prioritizing a move for Tottenham Hotspur's all-time scorer. Already, he hailed the player's abilities during a press conference this season.
Due to the club's lack of investing on permanent transfers, Ten Hag was only able to bring in loan signings in January.
United's ability to sign Ten Hag's top targets this summer may depend on their ability to make the Champions League, which they will almost probably do barring an unfavorable run of results.
The club has reportedly started making steps in an effort to sign Kane, who only has a year left on his contract with Tottenham.
And one of Ten Hag's crucial on-field choices could unintentionally aid United in acquiring England's all-time leading scorer.
Last summer, United spent more than £200 million on players, which the Manchester Evening News described as being "significantly over budget."
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