Harry Kane, who has three years left on his deal, has told Spurs he wants to leave and Man Utd - along with Man City and Chelsea - are understood to have registered their interest with his representatives; Kane said this week that he will decide his future, not Spurs chairman Daniel Levy
Monday 24 May 2021 15:19, UK
Tottenham striker Harry Kane is "made to measure" for Manchester United and would turn them into serious title contenders, says former Red Devils forward Mark Hughes.
Kane, who has three years left on his deal, has told Spurs he wants to leave and United - along with Manchester City and Chelsea - are understood to have registered their interest with his representatives.
The 27-year-old said this week in an exclusive interview on Gary Neville's The Overlap YouTube channel that he is at a crossroads in his career and that he will be the one to decide his future, not Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
Hughes won eight major trophies in two spells at United during the 1980s and 1990s, and thinks Kane - who donned the new Spurs home kit for the unveiling on Monday - would fit in perfectly at Old Trafford.
However, the former Wales international questioned whether tying down Edinson Cavani for another 12 months will mean United falter in their pursuit of Kane.
"I think Kane could take United back to a title-winning level," Hughes told Sky Sports News.
"From watching United this season, the one thing that's always struck me is that when they don't have that focal point to the attack, when Cavani isn't playing and the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial or Mason Greenwood are playing up top, it doesn't quite function as well as it should.
"I think United are always better when Cavani is actually down the middle. He's done great for United this year and I think it is great news for them that they've been able to keep him for another year.
"Whether that means they aren't going to pursue Kane really forcefully because they feel in the short-term that they've got a solution.
"I think from my point of view, with my red goggles on, I would love Harry Kane to be there because I think he'd be made to measure for Manchester United.
"He'd have a lot of good talent around him, and they'd give him that platform hopefully to win trophies because clearly Harry Kane is at the point of his career where that's what's missing from his career.
"He wants to make sure that the next step, if he does make a step, is going to guarantee trophies. It's not about money, it's not about prestige - it's about making your mark in the game."
Former City boss Hughes anticipates there will be a huge amount of interest in Kane from the Premier League's top clubs, including the champions who are in the market to replace all-time leading scorer Sergio Aguero.
"Clearly Harry Kane is the right level [to fill Aguero's boots at the club], he's proven in the Premier League so they won't have the worry of a foreign striker coming to these shores and having that period of transition which strikers do need," added Hughes.
"Some are able to come and adjust quite quickly but others more often than not need a little bit of time. If you look at Timo Werner at the moment over at Chelsea, clearly a very good player, but just not quite at the level he knows he's capable of and I think that's a transition thing.
"I think Harry Kane is the right level for Man City, and the only problem with that is quite a few other clubs will covet him as well, so I'm sure if it is made known that he is leaving and the club are looking for prospective buyers then Manchester City will be in the market for him, I'm sure."
Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland has also been linked with a move to both Manchester clubs, but his agent Mino Raiola says the German side are not willing to sell.
Raiola and Haaland's father, Alf Inge, the former City and Leeds player, have travelled to Barcelona and Real Madrid for talks with the two Spanish giants over a potential move.
It is thought that Haaland has a release clause of £66m, which comes into effect next summer.
Hughes says Haaland's talent is clear for all to see, but warns that there will always be doubts about whether the 20-year-old could make the same instant impact as Kane in the Premier League.
"It's difficult to say, I've been really impressed by Haaland," added Hughes, when asked if he would pick the young striker ahead of Kane.
"He's clearly got a lot of attributes: he's a big guy, lot of technical ability, quick as well over good distances which is unusual for a big guy, scores goals and does it at the highest level.
"I go back to the thing about transition coming to the Premier League, which is a unique league, make no bones about it. This league is special and it's different from other European leagues and it's the league everybody wants to play in.
"I think it's easier for midfielder, full-backs, centre-halves and goalkeepers maybe to come to the Premier League. But for strikers because you're judged on goals and expected to hit the ground running, it's not always easy to do that, so strikers come to this country a little more susceptible to vagaries of form and they don't always hit the levels that were expected of them.
"So bringing Haaland, without a shadow of a doubt would be good business for any Premier League club, but you would always have in the back of your mind that he may need that little bit of time to adjust to the power and the ability of the people that are going to try and make his job difficult."
