Erik ten Hag has criticised Manchester United for failing to bring in Harry Kane and Declan Rice during his time at Old Trafford. The Dutchman won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in his three seasons in Manchester before being dismissed in October 2024.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic, the former Ajax boss discussed several incidents from his tenure, including his falling out with Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he accused of letting him and the team down before the forward's departure in November 2022.
Kane and Rice deals fell through
During his first summer at the club, United pursued a move for Frenkie de Jong, agreeing a fee with Barcelona before he rejected the club. Ten Hag said he then shifted focus to Declan Rice, who joined Arsenal for a club-record £105m deal in summer 2023.
On Kane, then aged 30 and at Tottenham with one year left on his contract, ten Hag said: 'I said to them [the United board], "I want only one player — and you know who".' No deal was struck, with ten Hag claiming he was kept in the dark by chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough before being told the move was not possible. Kane went on to join Bayern Munich.
'I fought for it. I heard that he was very positive, but I never spoke with him about the issue,' ten Hag said. 'I don't know how the decision process went with John, Richard, the Glazers. They came to the conclusion. I don't have the insights in the financials.'
Other targets missed
United also missed out on two other centre forwards during ten Hag's tenure. In 2022, he wanted Brian Brobbey to support Ronaldo; the forward now plays for Sunderland. Two years later, a move for Danny Welbeck was explored, but a change at executive level meant no formal offer was made.
'At first, not everyone was aligned,' ten Hag said of the Brobbey interest. 'Then we convinced him, but then we were late, and already he was in a different process.' On Welbeck, he said: 'For sure, we were in contact. Not me, often Darren (Fletcher, then United technical director). And he was very interested.'
Sixteen players arrived at United during ten Hag's tenure, with many failing to meet expectations, including Rasmus Hojlund, who was sold at a loss to Napoli in the summer.
