Sam Allardyce might have failed to rescue Leeds United from relegating to the English Championship but the Premier League veteran sure noted Manchester United have made recognizeable progress under Erik Ten Hag.
In Erik ten Hag's first season at Old Trafford, United finished third, securing their return to the Champions League but falling short of Manchester City and Arsenal.
Ten Hag is eager to bolster his Manchester United team this summer, but it's unclear what resources the Dutchman will have given the club's takeover.
If United acquired England talents Harry Kane and Declan Rice, according to Allardyce, they would be "second favorites to win the Premier League" and be on the verge of challenging Man City for the crown.
After agreeing to approve Cristiano Ronaldo's high-profile departure earlier this season, Ten Hag is eager to welcome Tottenham captain Kane to Old Trafford.
The former Ajax manager reportedly wants to work with Rice, the captain of West Ham, next season, but has competition from teams like Arsenal and Chelsea.
"I absolutely think that if Manchester United sign Declan Rice and Harry Kane then they would be second favourites to win the Premier League," ex-Leeds United manager Allardyce told William Hill.
"I saw Declan Rice first hand at West Ham away this season. It’s rare that you see a player who has been brought up as a centre half evolve into a central midfield player as well as he has."
"He’s the all-action midfield player, he’s not just a sitting anchor man, he’s everything. He’s a passer and he’s box-to-box, and people might say he doesn’t score enough to be worth £100m, but what he can bring to the team would evolve Manchester United through the middle."
"If Harry Kane and Declan Rice were both through the middle for United then they’d be fighting for spots one and two in the league."
Manchester United has excelled in the Premier League this year and won their first trophy since 2017 by winning the League Cup. This weekend, they will attempt to complete a domestic hat trick.
On Saturday, Ten Hag's team will travel to Wembley for the FA Cup final against Premier League champions and treble-chasing Manchester City.
Manchester United's manager Erik Ten Hag is also anticipating a higher finish on the Premier League table next season but not really in perspective with Sam Allardyce's comments.
"We don't want to stay here; we want to go higher up, we want to increase our levels and compete for the top two," Ten Hag stated. "We have to demand more and increase our levels."
"My hope is that we have to do better," said Ten Hag, speaking at the club's end-of-season awards ceremony. "We always have to do better."
"We have a foundation, we have a good base and we have to do better. We still have one game to go this season and it is a great opportunity to make a next step."
"After that we then have the summer and we have to increase our standards to do even better. The competition is tough and our competitors also reach higher levels, so we have to do at least the same."
Post a Comment