Erik ten Hag has revealed in a tell-all interview that he pushed hard to sign Harry Kane and two other centre-forwards during his time as Manchester United manager, claiming the club needed such profiles to be successful.
The Dutchman, who was sacked by United in October 2024, spoke to The Athletic about his work with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, as well as the club's recruitment policy. Since his departure, United have had Ruben Amorim come and go, while current boss Michael Carrick is feeling the pressure after just two wins from 10 to start the season.
Kane pursuit revealed
Ten Hag said he told the United board: "I said to them, 'I want only one player - and you know who', meaning Kane." He added: "I fought for it. I heard that he was very positive, but I never spoke with him about the issue. I don't know how the decision process went with John, Richard, the Glazers."
Kane ended up signing for Bayern Munich in a deal worth £86million, a fee lower than Tottenham would have charged United as they did not want to sell to a Premier League rival. Kane currently has 53 goals in the 2026 calendar year for Bayern Munich and England despite turning 33 in July.
Other striker targets
Ten Hag also revealed that United looked at bringing Danny Welbeck back to the club, with then-technical director Darren Fletcher handling the contact. He said: "For sure, we were in contact. Not me, often Darren. And he was very interested."
The third striker United looked at was Brian Brobbey, who Ten Hag worked with at Ajax and who now plays for Sunderland. On that failed pursuit, Ten Hag said: "At first, not everyone was aligned. Then we convinced him, but then we were late, and already he was in a different process."
Ten Hag added: "I think a club like United, you need these profiles to be successful. Personality, and they are mature, and they're accountable. We signed five, six players, young, high potentials. But they are not the finished product. They need guidance from good professionals, like Kane, Rice, and Bruno [Fernandes]."
