Manchester United has come under fire for missing out on the opportunity to sign Declan Rice and Harry Kane in “transformational” deals.
In the summer of 2023, two England internationals who have both shown their mettle in the Premier League come up for grabs. Neither would be cheap, though, as West Ham and Tottenham were unwilling to give up their prized assets. United, on the other hand, decided not to add to the demand for either, which allowed Bayern Munich to pounce for €100 million (£86 million/$108 million) for Kane and Arsenal to sign Rice for £105 million ($132 million).
WHAT SHERINGHAM SAID ABOUT KANE & RICE
Former United striker Teddy Sheringham has questioned the Red Devils’ recruitment policy, telling Gambling Zone of why the Premier League giants continue to stagnate: “For me, it’s easy to put my finger on what is happening at Manchester United at the moment. When you buy decent players, you get decent consistency. United are sixth in the league, which isn’t horrendous, but isn’t anything other than decent. That tells me that they’ve got decent players with decent attributes. If you want to be the best, you need to sign the best. How United were not in for Declan Rice and Harry Kane at the start of the season is beyond me. Throughout my time as a player, and when I played for Man United, the club would always sign top players. Under Sir Alex, if a centre forward became available, he would go out and get that player. Top players elevate you. They elevate the players around them and raise standards. Fergie would always bring in that type of player if he felt it would improve his team. These are the type of players that perform to a high standard every single week. These are the type of players that can drag a team over-the-line in a tight game. Declan Rice would have done that in midfield and Harry Kane would have done that upfront. Signings like that have a transformational effect on the entire football club.”
WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?
United have continued to struggle for consistency in 2023-24, leaving them outside of the Premier League’s top four and in serious danger of suffering a humbling early exit from European competition. Rather than splash out on the likes of Kane and Rice last summer, the Red Devils instead invested in Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund – who are all yet to convince at Old Trafford.
