Man Utd expected club to sign Arsenal star Harry Kane | Football

United were heavily linked with the England pair but missed out on both, with Rice leaving West Ham to join Arsenal and Kane moving to Bayern Munich from Tottenham.

Both Rice and Kane have enjoyed superb first seasons at their new clubs, with the former helping Arsenal challenge for the Premier League title and the latter scoring 44 goals in 45 games for Bayern.

Erik ten Hag, who will keep his job at Old Trafford despite intense speculation over his future, pushed for United to sign Kane but his bosses decided not to enter the transfer race, believing that a potential negotiation with Tottenham is too difficult and considering Kane as too expensive.

Instead, Manchester United bolstered the Ten Hag’s attacking options with the signing of Rasmus Hojlund, but the Danish striker has endured a disappointing first season in the Premier League.

Athletic claim several players at Old Trafford “wanted and expected” Kane to arrive last summer, with Casemiro believing the England captain would take the team to the next level following a third-place finish.

Many United players are also said to have backed Ten Hag’s move for Rice last year, and while the Red Devils eventually contacted West Ham about a possible move, Arsenal were already well ahead in negotiations until that moment.

The Ten Hag targeted Rice in the summer of 2022 and revived their interest in the midfielder 12 months later, only to see the 25-year-old move to Manchester United’s Premier League rivals Arsenal.

It is claimed that Ten Hag also met with Paris Saint-Germain and France striker Randal Kolo Muani about a proposed move to the Theater of Dreams, but ultimately decided against a move, while still wanting him somehow bring Frenkie de Jong to United.

“I said at the start of the season, it was a lack of ambition for a club the size of Manchester United not to be in the market for Harry Kane and Declan Rice,” he told Genting Casino.

“In the old days, Fergie (Sir Alex Ferguson) would have taken both players. These are two top players, top in the Premier League and at international level.

“Fergie would have taken them for both of them.” You don’t just get the player with Kane and Rice, you get the professionalism, the winning mentality, you get the leadership.

“These guys drag the players along with them and set your standards. There isn’t a single player doing that at Manchester United right now.

“They all look at each other and say, ‘I’m doing my job, how about you?’ and you don’t need that if you want to win titles.

“Leaders don’t do that. Even if they don’t have a great game, they have the presence and talent to lift everyone else around them.

“They take you through games and you get results in games where you weren’t necessarily the best team because of the leadership qualities that your experienced players show.

“When those two players weren’t even on the radar for Manchester United, it was a red flag. Wow! How times have changed at the football club.

Despite having the worst result in the Premier League last season, United decided to stick with Ten Hag, who produced an FA Cup final upset to secure their second trophy since moving to England in 2022.

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