ERIK TEN HAG has lifted the lid on Manchester United’s hunt for a new striker last summer.
The Red Devils parted with £72million to bring Rasmus Hojlund to Old Trafford from Atalanta.
However, they were also strongly linked with Harry Kane and pushed to sign the England captain before he joined Bayern Munich.
Kane has gone on to break multiple scoring records with his 43 goals in 43 appearances for the German giants.
Meanwhile, Hojlund had to wait until Boxing Day for his first Premier League goal and is currently on a run of one goal in six league matches.
The Danish forward has scored 14 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions, though, including a run of scoring in six consecutive league matches after breaking his duck in December.
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Ten Hag has now revealed Hojlund was only their second choice and explained the decision to sign him after missing out on Kane.
Discussing the type of players United can sign, he told Gary Neville on Sky Sports: “That can only be outstanding players.
“That’s players who have all the skill sets, that is the physical and especially the mental skill set they need to perform and contribute because we have to win every game.
“There’s an expectation around every game from us so you can only fulfil that expectation when you have those outstanding players.
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Pundits verdict on Ten Hag’s future
Where do the pundits stand on Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United future
Jamie Carragher – Sacked
“I don’t see how Erik ten Hag stays. It’s just performance after performance.”
Gary Neville – Stay if he wins the FA Cup
“To sack a manager who’s won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club I think would be extreme.”
Louis Saha – On the fence
“I don’t see it as clearly but they need changes from the players but they need changes from him as well.”
Alan Shearer – Sacked
“I believe the future of the Man Utd manager is already determined. Even if they win the FA Cup I think he’s gone.”
“But in the last decade and in this period, we couldn’t always get the players we wanted. But then you have to build and you have to accept that you get talent in instead of players who already proved it in the past.
“We have had some choices made with talents like Rasmus Hojlund. I can see a striker who already proved it, who we wanted to sign and we couldn’t get him. And then we went to Rasmus because he’s a talent.”
Asked if he was referring to Kane, Ten Hag added: “Yes, and you know Harry Kane will get you 30 goals.
“I think Rasmus will get there, but he needs time. It’s not fair to assess him the same as Harry Kane. I would never compare two players because they are very different.
“But with Hojlund, I think we had the biggest potential in the striker position last summer and we are very happy with him. But he also needs time to adapt and we are very pleased he showed his assets in scoring goals.”
Hojlund has been installed as a part of United’s long-term project since his arrival last summer.
Despite the Red Devils planning a squad overhaul ahead of next season, he is seen as “untouchable” by the club.
Fellow youngsters Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho complete the trio of players who are not for sale this summer.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
