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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Daniel Murphy

Harry Kane shows why Erik ten Hag wants him at Manchester United in one England moment

Tottenham's record scorer. England's record scorer. Only 57 away from being the Premier League's record scorer. Harry Kane is all about goals.

Except he isn't. There's so much more to his game which makes him one of the best strikers in the game.

Those goals do count for an awful lot, of course, and it's what Manchester United have been missing this season. Erik ten Hag has already exceeded the expectations placed upon him since taking over at Old Trafford and the transformation he's had on the club is made even more impressive given the lack of strikers at his disposal.

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Cristiano Ronaldo did not fit into the side either physically or temperamentally. Anthony Martial has spent more time on the sidelines than on the pitch. Wout Weghorst has impressed with his effort and build-up play but rarely finds the back of the net. They are the strikers Ten Hag has been able to use.

Marcus Rashford has played through the middle on occasion too but he has continued to play much better off the left flank. Without the No.10's blistering return to form and confidence this season, United really would be struggling. He has a career-high tally of 27 goals already but Bruno Fernandes is the only other player to hit double figures. Between them, the duo have either scored or assisted 65 per cent of the team's 80 goals this season.

While it's great they are both playing so well, such an overreliance on two players is asking for trouble should either of them pick up an injury or suspension. It's obvious why a new striker has been made the priority.

Ten Hag has made Kane his prime target - with the likes of Victor Osimhen, Goncalo Ramos and Mohammed Kudus also on the radar - and what an addition he would be. The Tottenham talisman is eager to finally win some silverware the likelihood of that happening at Spurs shrinks every year.

Kane wanted to leave in 2021 when Manchester City came calling but his club would not let him go. That may well remain the case this summer as well but as he approaches the final year of his contract Daniel Levy may finally be convinced to sell, providing the offer is big enough of course.

Unless Chelsea repeats their magic trick of winning the Champions League when they've had a difficult domestic campaign, United are likely to be the only Premier League team who could feasibly sign Kane in the summer, though there may be competition from Bayern Munich.

Fans are right to be getting excited with just the prospect of Kane being in the team. Imagine how much better they would be with a reliable striker to finish off the plenty of chances they create. But it isn't all about goals.

The reason Weghorst has been an ever-present in the team since his arrival despite his meagre return is because of the great work he does elsewhere. The Dutchman is a relentless presser which helps drive the team forward and he is really accomplished in possession with a sharp touch and a good eye for a through ball.

But Kane is even better and can actually finish, with nine consecutive seasons of scoring at least 20 goals vouching for it. The 29-year-old is an excellent playmaker and his goal in England's victory over Ukraine was the perfect example.

He picked the ball up in the middle of the pitch, swivelled away from a defender and then clipped a pinpoint pass to the opposite flank for Bukayo Saka. He then made an intelligent run for the back post where he was found by Saka and able to divert the ball home. It was a brilliant passage of play that we have seen Kane do over and over again through the years and showed off all the qualities he would bring to Old Trafford.

In one moment he showed exactly why Ten Hag wants him.

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