Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy has opened up on the behind-the-scenes intrigues that saw Manchester United opt against signing England striker Harry Kane.
Kane sealed a big-money move to German giants Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023 but there was a chance to switch to Old Trafford as then manager Erik ten Hag had made him his main attacking target.
According to McCarthy, Ten Hag had drawn up a list of strikers that he wanted to bring in, having led the club to a third place finish in the Premier League, won the League Cup and reached the FA Cup final, with Kane topping it and there was also Frenchman Kolo Muani and Nigerian Victor Osimhen.
However, with Kane aged 30, United opted against spending big money on the England captain, opting to invest a total of £72 million in a then 20-year-old Rasmus Hojlund with Bayern paying over €100m to Tottenham Hotspur for the striker.
Why did Man United not sign Harry Kane?
“Kane was the prime target, but obviously the price tag was an issue,” McCarthy told Ladbrokes at the launch of Gaffer of all Accas as quoted by Express.
“Because he would have been leaving Spurs for United, a few extra million pounds were added on to the price tag, which, you know, for a 30-year-old wasn’t seen to be wise.”
However, Kane has since continued his goalscoring exploits in Germany, with 73 goals in 75 games in the last one-and-a-half years, while Hojlund is struggling under the weight of a United shirt, managing 23 goals in 75 games.
“But for £100 million, if you look at it now, you’d say that it would have been well worth it because he's gone to Bayern and he's still producing, he's still scoring,” added McCarthy.
“So, you think we should have just bitten the bullet and got Harry Kane and then also tried to invest in Rasmus Hojlund. That would have been the best thing for Rasmus if he had had someone like Harry Kane involved.
Hojlund viewed as better value for money
“So, yeah, Harry Kane was Erik’s No. 1 target. Erik really wanted him. Kolo Muani was also very high on that list. Victor Osimhen was also on that list. But I felt that if you're going to want to spend that kind of money – £100 million plus – then you want the complete package. And Harry Kane, for me, was the complete package.
“But unfortunately, the club didn't see it that way. They looked at it as Rasmus Hojlund in the long run would be a more prized asset than investing in both Rasmus and Harry Kane. So, we stopped pursuing Kane and we ended up getting just Rasmus,” said South Africa’s all-time top scorer.
Kane’s departure has been badly missed by Tottenham while United appear to be in need for further attacking reinforcements even after the huge outlay on Hojlund.
McCarthy worked at United for two years as the team’s attacking coach from July 2022 to June 2024 when he left following the end of his contract.
