Neville: United should be 'clever' to hijack Kane's Bayern move
Manchester United should be ‘clever’ to hijack Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich move late on, says Gary Neville, as he raises £72m Rasmus Hojlund fears
- Gary Neville has urged Man United to hijack Bayern Munich’s bid for Harry Kane
- He said United have unknowns at each end in Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund
- The United legend fears the club are not equipped to challenge for the title
Man United legend Gary Neville has urged the club to be ‘clever’ and hijack Bayern Munich’s bid for Harry Kane – fearing the club has ‘two unknowns’ at either end of the pitch and are not equipped for a title challenge.
United’s 2023-24 campaign will kick off next Monday at home to Wolves, with manager Erik ten Hag adding three signings to his squad in £60million midfielder Mason Mount, £51m goalkeeper Andre Onana and £72m striker Rasmus Hojlund.
But Neville says the latter two incomings cannot be banked on at this stage, saying both players will face scrutiny because they are playing in crucial positions, claiming he was ‘nervous’ about United’s season and wants them to rival Bayern for Kane.
Mail Sport reported Bayern are set to launch a fourth bid worth £95m for the Tottenham star, with Spurs running out of time to cash in on their talisman before his deal expires next summer and he can leave for nothing.
Neville, speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, in partnership with Sky Bet, said: ‘[Andre Onana] and Rasmus Hojlund, they’re the two positions you are going to be put under the most scrutiny and they’re the two players that have to settle in.
Gary Neville has urged Manchester United to hijack Bayern Munich’s deal for Harry Kane
Bayern are set to bid £95m for the Spurs striker, who is admired by boss Erik ten Hag
https://youtube.com/watch?v=P4HBidSEcQ8%3Frel%3D0
‘The reason I’m nervous about United’s season is, you’ve got two unknowns at either end of the pitch in two focal positions that really have to hit it off for them to be better than last season.
‘I hope they’re [Manchester United] being clever, and [Harry] Kane’s being clever, and they’re waiting to get a deal whereby they agree a deal with [Bayern] Munich, he says ‘no I’m not going, and I want to go to United’.
‘United need Kane, they still need the young lad as well [Rasmus Højlund] to back him up and bed in and play his 25/30 games because he didn’t play every game for Atalanta last season.
‘I’m worried that we’ve got this kid up front that to be fair, has massive pressure on his shoulders. Everyone’s going to be watching him, he needs that pressure taken off him a bit. Kane puts United into that sort of realm of catching Arsenal and [Manchester] City.’
Neville fears United have ‘two unknowns’ at either end of the pitch in Rasmus Hojlund and goalkeeper Andre Onana
United have already been handed a blow that their new striker is nursing a back injury and will see his playing time limited at the start of the season.
He will miss the opening two games against Wolves at home and Tottenham away after an MRI scan conducted as part of his medical revealed a stress response hotspot in his back.
That will mean Ten Hag could be forced to play Rashford up top, a position he is uncomfortable with, and Neville says the Dutchman needs another centre-forward regardless to take the pressure of the club’s forwards.
‘[Marcus] Rashford doesn’t like playing down the middle, I spoke to him a few weeks ago and he was categoric that he plays off the left. He wants to play off the left.
‘Erik ten Hag wanted two centre forwards; he wanted the young one to back up Harry Kane. He needed and still needs two centre forwards.
Neville said he would be ‘absolutely stunned’ if Kane opted to leave England for Bayern
‘[Anthony] Martial will probably leave or be unpredictable as he has been, Rashford definitely wants to play on the left, so we don’t have a centre forward. Manchester United do not have a centre forward.’
Neville has now urged United to be ‘clever’ about Kane and put in a last-minute bid to sway him to join Old Trafford, saying he would be ‘absolutely stunned’ if the England captain opted to leave the Premier League and give up on chasing Alan Shearer’s all-time goal record (260).
‘He [Kane] tried [to speak out and leave Spurs] a few years ago and it didn’t work out that well for him. This time he’s doing it in a different way but behind the scenes.
‘I’m hoping that they’re [United] watching what’s happening and are seeing that an £86-million-pound deal might get agreed with Bayern Munich, and Kane goes “I ain’t going'”. I might be wrong here, I have had no contact with Kane whatsoever, but I will be stunned if Kane goes to Bayern Munich.
‘If he doesn’t want to break that Premier League all-time record, I’ll be absolutely stunned. Bayern Munich are a huge club by the way, but I don’t see that at all.’
The Sky Sports pundit fears the Red Devils are not equipped to challenge for the title this term
The former right-back, who played 602 times for United, has taken a pessimistic view on the club’s title hopes, adding that only Arsenal are equipped to challenge City for the Premier League crown.
‘I don’t think Arsenal could’ve done any more to close the gap [to Manchester City],’ he added. ‘They’ve shown real intent with the signings that they’ve made – my concern is that I look at and think they actually could win the league.
‘They obviously fell short last season, but with the signings they’ve made I think they’re going to be better.
‘Chelsea will be better with their new manager – and they couldn’t get any worse! I don’t look at Liverpool at the moment and think they’re going to be challenging for the league – and the same with Manchester United and what they’ve done so far.
‘Unless United, Chelsea or Liverpool do something miraculous in the next few months of the transfer window, Arsenal are the only team that could challenge City at this point in time. I would still back City for the title – just!’
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