Senior Man Utd stars ‘disappointed’ over failed signing of world-class forward who would’ve guaranteed 30 goals

Erik ten Hag and Casemiro, Man Utd

Senior Manchester United players including Casemiro were ‘disappointed’ that the club did not manage to sign England captain Harry Kane last summer, it has been revealed.

After Cristiano Ronaldo terminated his contract by mutual consent in November 2022, Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag was forced to use the likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial at centre-forward in the build up to the January transfer window. Ten Hag pushed Man Utd chiefs to improve his striker options that winter and Wout Weghorst surprisingly arrived on loan from Burnley as a result.

The Red Devils went on to win the League Cup, reach the FA Cup final and finish third in the Premier League during the 2022-23 campaign. However, it was clear that Man Utd needed to sign a top-class new striker ahead of the 2023-24 season getting underway.

Rashford feels he is better at left wing, Martial has never lived up to his initial £36million price tag, while Weghorst is not an elite attacker, despite his willingness to work hard for the team.

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Then Tottenham Hotspur ace Kane was Ten Hag’s No 1 option to take his forward line to the next level.

But Kane ultimately did not arrive at Old Trafford, and this forced Ten Hag and Man Utd to change tactics by landing Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta.

Hojlund, who cost an initial £64m potentially rising to £72m, has had some tough periods at Man Utd but has done well overall considering he is 21 years old and still developing.

According to Man Utd expert Laurie Whitwell, Casemiro was among the experienced Man Utd players who was desperate to see Kane join the club last summer.

Man Utd news: Players wanted Harry Kane to join

Casemiro and some of his team-mates felt that adding a world-class striker such as Kane to the squad would help Man Utd challenge the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool for the Premier League title.

But club chiefs John Murtough, Joel Glazer and Richard Arnold, who were then in charge of football operations at Man Utd, refused to enter discussions for the 30-year-old.

They felt that it would be too difficult to negotiate a deal with Tottenham and that Kane would ultimately prove too costly.

Instead, England’s record goalscorer ended up signing for German titans Bayern Munich in a £100m deal.

Casemiro and Man Utd fans have been left wondering what might have been, as Kane has broken all sorts of records on his way to netting 44 goals in just 45 games for Bayern.

The Bavarians may have had a disappointing campaign as a collective, finishing third in the Bundesliga and failing to win any silverware, but on a personal level Kane has established himself as arguably the best No 9 in the world.

Man Utd are once again in the mix for a new striker as they need a more experienced option who can help Hojlund out. Potential options include Joshua Zirkzee, Ivan Toney and Jonathan David.

Man Utd have also been urged to consider a big swoop for a ‘powerful’ Premier League forward who has already discussed a potential switch to the club.