Man Utd slammed for 'damning lack of ambition' with two transfers picked out
Manchester United were doomed to fail this season after they failed to sign Harry Kane and Declan Rice in the summer, according to Teddy Sheringham.
United are sleepwalking towards the end of the season, sitting eighth in the Premier League following a hugely inconsistent campaign. Their 4-0 thrashing by Crystal Palace has heightened the pressure on Erik ten Hag, who is now expected to be replaced in the summer by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team.
Ten Hag can still end the season with silverware, if United somehow manage to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25, but thoughts are already turning to the summer transfer window, when an overhaul is needed. United spent over £170million last summer to bring in Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana, but missed out on the two best available players.
Kane left Tottenham to join Bayern Munich for £86m, while Rice swapped West Ham for Arsenal for £105m. The England captain has scored 44 goals in 44 games for Bayern and Rice has been a huge hit at Arsenal, who remain in the title race, and Sheringham has slammed his old club for not pushing for their signatures.
DON’T SCRAP REPLAYS! Join our petition to keep the magic of the FA Cup alive!
“I said at the start of the season, it was a damning lack of ambition for a club of Manchester United’s size not to be in the hunt for Harry Kane and Declan Rice,” the former striker told Genting Casino. “In the old days, Fergie would have snapped both of those players up. These are two top, top players at Premier League and international level.
“Fergie would have been in for both of them. You’re not just getting the player with Kane and Rice, you’re getting the professionalism, the winning mentality. You’re getting leadership. These guys drag players along with them and set your standards, good examples.
“There isn’t a single player doing that at Manchester United at the moment. Everyone is looking at each other and saying, ‘I’m doing my job, what about you?’ and that’s not what you need if you want to win titles.
Harry Kane and Declan Rice
HAVE YOUR SAY! How damaging was Manchester United’s failure to land Harry Kane or Declan Rice? Comment below.
“Leaders don’t do that. Even if they’re not having a great game, they have the presence and the talent to lift everyone else around them. They get you through games and you pick up results in matches where you weren’t necessarily the best team because of the leadership qualities your experienced players demonstrate.”
Speaking before the Palace defeat, Ten Hag admitted to Gary Neville that United went for Hojlund after failing to tempt Kane. “We have had some choices made with talents like Rasmus Hojlund,” he told Sky Sports. “I can see a striker who already proved it, who we wanted to sign and we couldn’t get him. And then we went to Rasmus because he’s a talent.”
When asked if he meant Kane, Ten Hag said: “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.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.