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On 30th March, England captain Harry Kane was interviewed by Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp on Instagram Live. During the interview, Kane admitted that he may leave Spurs due to his ambition of winning trophies, and if he believes the club isn't heading in the right direction.
Almost immediately, multiple media outlets started linking him with a move to Manchester United. Two years ago, Harry Kane would have certainly fit the bill as far as the type of signings Manchester United were making at the time. The move would seem appealing to Harry Kane now as well, despite the Old Trafford club's recent struggles, United remain an appealing destination to play football, considering their history, stadium and aura, especially for British players.
Harry Kane is a world-class out-and-out striker, arguably second only to Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich. Kane would certainly improve any team he chooses to become a part of. However, here are 6 reasons why Manchester United should not sign the English forward.
#6 Kane would not come cheap
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Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is known to be a tough negotiator, and wouldn't sell Harry Kane for anything less than £200 million. Now, United are one of the few clubs in the world that could afford such a mammoth fee. But spending the entire transfer budget on one player would not be prudent for a club like Manchester United.
The Old Trafford club has been plagued by bad recruitments ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and David Gill left his position as Chief Executive at the end of the 2012-13 season.
There are many other positions of the pitch United should focus on rather than buying a star player, and hoping for the best. Signing Harry Kane may scupper Manchester United's plans of adding balance to their squad in the summer.
#5 The need to avoid a 'Cherry-on-the-top' signing
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ESPN pundit, and former Chelsea, Derby, and Scotland midfielder, Craig Burley has urged Manchester United to sign the England captain. However, it is abundantly clear Burley lacks an understanding of the term 'Cherry-on-the-top' signing.
Harry Kane is the type of signing you make when you already have a squad good enough to challenge for titles. In such a scenario, signing a player like Kane gives you an edge over your rivals.
Manchester United have had a history of making such signings: Dwight Yorke from Aston Villa in 1998, Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspurs in 2008, and most recently, Robin van Persie from Arsenal in 2012. But that was a time when United never finished outside the top three of the Premier League, and had a sustained assault on the title for close to two decades.
Manchester United are nowhere near a title challenger at the moment. There are many teething issues at the club. The current United squad requires quality additions as well as jettisoning certain players who have no future at the club. Right-wing and defensive midfield areas need priority attention.
Kane, instead, may be more suited at Liverpool where he would be a significant upgrade on Roberto Firmino, or at Manchester City as a replacement for an ageing Sergio Aguero.
#4 Kane's recent injury record is underwhelming
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Harry Kane all 38 games when he won the Premier League Golden Boot for the first time in 2015-16, scoring 25 goals. The next season he scored 29 goals in 30 games to again win the Golden Boot in the league.
In 2017-18 as well, Kane was in the race for the Golden Boot, scoring 30 goals in 37 appearances to finish second behind Mohamed Salah. However, in the last two seasons, Kane has picked up multiple injuries, limiting his appearances to.28 in 2018-19, and 20 (from 29) games this season.
An outlay of £200 million for an injury-prone star is just the kind of transfer mistake Ed Woodward would have made earlier in his reign. However, with club legend and manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer at the helm of transfers now, it is highly unlikely United would sign big-name players on massive wages.
If United want to fight for multiple competitions next season, they should not sign a player with an injury record like Harry Kane.
#3 Kane's potentially high wages may cause disruption in the squad
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Should Harry Kane sign for United, he is certain to command a significant wage at the club. United are aware of the disruption caused by the last player to move to the north-west from North London on massive wages, Alexis Sanchez.
David de Gea demanded to be paid a sum equal to Sanchez, and he was well within his rights to do so. The Spaniard played more games than the diminutive Chilean, giving more on the pitch than Sanchez, and being more important to United's success.
The goalkeeper was ultimately granted his wish, but compatriot Ander Herrera was not so fortunate. Herrera was another player who was giving more on the pitch than Sanchez, but was moved on when the Spaniard demanded a pay rise, eventually signing for Paris Saint Germain on a free transfer.
Herrera was one of the players on United's roster thought to be captain-material by the fans, and United have missed a player of that calibre in the first half of this season. Club legend Paul Scholes may not have been overly impressed by Herrera's talents, having commented last season that United won't miss him if he signs for another club. However, it would have been interesting to see Herrera being paired with a new signing and another player deemed captain-material, Bruno Fernandez.
#2 The growth of Anthony Martial may be hindered
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Anthony Martial has scored 16 goals in all competitions this season, and was well on his way to his most prolific season at United. The faith Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has shown in Martial has been repaid by the Frenchman with intelligent centre-forward play, runs in the channels, and holding the ball up to bring teammates into the attacking third..
Martial has also scored some important goals this season, including becoming the first player since compatriot Eric 'the King' Cantona to score in three consecutive Manchester derbies. The scoring run included the winner at the Etihad in a 2-1 win, as Martial became the first player to score against the 'noisy neighbours' home and away, since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006-07.
The Frenchman has also improved aerially, as is evident in his two headed goals this season, one of which came at Chelsea when he opened the scoring in a 2-0 win. Should Harry Kane be signed, United's patient investment in Martial would go to waste.
Kane's stature and transfer fee would make it imperative that he starts every game. While that may not be a negative per se, dropping a player two and half years younger, and on an upward trajectory would be imprudent of United.
#1 Timo Werner could be a more prudent signing than Kane
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If United want to sign a forward this transfer window, they should look no further than Timo Werner. He fits the type of player United have been targeting since implementing their revamped transfer policy under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Werner is young, talented, prolific, and has a much higher ceiling than Harry Kane.
Another reason why Manchester United should want to sign Werner is that he can play in tandem with Anthony Martial, and not replace him in the starting XI. Timo Werner can play as a right-sided centre-forward, and would be able to complement Martial who plays off the left.
If Manchester United bring in Jadon Sancho to play on the right-wing, the interchange between Marcus Rashford, Martial, Werner, and Sancho with Bruno Fernandez and/or Paul Pogba pulling the strings from midfield would certainly make for an enticing proposition.
Timo Werner could be available for around € 65 million, a sum significantly smaller than the amount being quoted for Harry Kane.
