Kane is a complete player but Martial can be Man Utd's permanent No.9, says Yorke

Dwight Yorke thinks, although rumoured Manchester United target Harry Kane is a "complete player", current first-choice forward Anthony Martial is capable of serving as the club's permanent No.9.

United are reportedly weighing up a big-money move for Tottenham talisman Kane in the summer window. The England captain has left the door open for a potential transfer in order to fulfil his silverware ambitions, and Old Trafford has been mooted as his most likely next destination.

The Red Devils decided against signing a replacement for Romelu Lukaku when he joined Inter last year, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer instead placing his trust in Martial to lead the line.

The Frenchman has not yet proven he can deliver the goods on a consistent basis, but a superb hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Sheffield United on Wednesday served as a stark reminder of his potential through the middle.

Yorke has suggested his old club will have no need for Kane if Martial builds on his latest performance to nail down a coveted spot in Solskjaer's line up.

The ex-United marksman told Talksport: “Martial’s hat-trick last night and the way he scored the three goals shows he’s an accomplished finisher.

“The fact is: when you play for United you’re scrutinised if you’re inconsistent and singled out for criticism if you don’t perform. We’ve got to remember these are young players and are very new into the Man United way of life.

“United are always linked with quality players and Harry Kane is at the top of the tree in terms of a No.9, he’s a complete player - but what we’ve seen is that United have invested a lot in young players and the No.9 position is a tricky position to play, it’s a specialist position, Ally [McCoist] will vouch for that.

“So if someone like Harry Kane wants to join our football club that can only be a huge plus, but for now we have a lot of talent in the young squad and they just need game time."

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Yorke continued: “To be a No.9 you need to play there week-in, week-out; not one week on the left, then on the right and then you come back into the centre.

“The best goalscorers in the history of the Premier League, Alan Shearer for instance, he only played in one position and he wasn’t interested in anywhere else.

“The likes of Robbie Fowler, Andy Cole, Sergio Aguero, they only played in one position and that’s why they were the best, and Harry Kane is in that bracket too.

“Martial has been at the club for a few years now and his preferred position is playing as a centre-forward, and he got his opportunity and he really made it count. So I think he’s ready to go.”