Manchester United tried and failed to sign Harry Kane last summer, according to manager Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils were known to be big admirers of the England captain but struggled to grapple his services from Tottenham.
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He then went on to sign for Bayern Munich with one year left on his contract in North London, snubbing United.
Ten Hag admits he tried to bring the 30-year-old to Old Trafford but is not upset that he failed as he was able to bring Rasmus Hojlund to England instead.
Speaking ahead of the game against Crystal Palace, he said: “We have had some choices made with talents like Rasmus Hojlund.
“I can see a striker who already proved it, who we want to sign and we couldn’t get him. And then we went to Rasmus because he’s a talent.”
When asked if he was referring to Kane as the striker he missed out on, he said: “Yes, and you know Harry Kane will get you 30 goals.
🚨 Ten Hag confirms he wanted Harry Kane: “Yes, you know Kane will get you 30 goal. He’s striker who already proved it, who we wanted to sign and we couldn’t get him”.
“So we went for Højlund. He’s a big talent. Rasmus will get there [30 goals], but he needs time”, told Sky. pic.twitter.com/KwYLRNPwUh
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 3, 2024
“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.”
Kane has thrived in Germany this season, netting 43 goals in as many games in all competitions.
Bayern are also in the Champions League semi-final and the talisman scored against Real Madrid in the 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
Manchester United have the chance to finish the season strong by qualifying for Europe and they have a spot in the FA Cup final alongside Manchester City.
Hojlund has taken a while to adapt but has bagged eight goals in the Premier League.
