Benni McCarthy slams Man Utd for Harry Kane transfer mistake as he confirms Erik ten Hag was denied extra funds for 'No.1 target'

In the summer of 2023, Ten Hag urged United officials to sign Kane from Tottenham Hotspur. However, the Red Devils' financial constraints and Daniel Levy's lofty £100 million asking price led the club to explore alternative options. In the end, United secured the services of Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta for a reported £72m.

McCarthy was part of Ten Hag's coaching team at the time, and has now come out to slam the club's decision to pass up the chance to land "complete package" Kane.

"Harry Kane was our No.1 target," McCarthy said exclusively to Ladbrokes at the Gaffer of all Accas launch. "Kane was the prime target, but obviously the price tag was an issue. 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. But for £100million, 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. 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.

"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 – £100million-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."

Bayern Munich seized the opportunity to sign Kane after United's hesitation. Since moving to Bayern, Kane has netted 73 goals in 75 appearances across all competitions, including 29 in the current campaign. Despite his success in Germany, speculation about Kane's future persists. Reports indicate that his contract includes a release clause, which, as of January 2025, stood at £67 million and is set to decrease to £54 million in the 2026 winter transfer window. This clause has fuelled talk of a possible return to the Premier League in the near future, with a sensational return to Tottenham not being ruled out.

Hojlund has struggled to fulfill expectations at Old Trafford and has found the net just 23 times in 75 United appearances. He once again drew a blank during United's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday, which has put the striker under further scrutiny. Meanwhile, Kane is flourishing with Bayern and is on course to win the Bundesliga Golden Boot, having already scored 21 times in 20 matches. He will return to domestic league action against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday but before that, he has a Champions League playoff clash against Celtic to contend with on Tuesday evening.