Former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham insists his old club should break the bank to bring Harry Kane to Old Trafford this summer.
United, who will be aiming to conclude their Premier League campaign with a victory when they travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday, are set to be on the hunt for at least one new striker this summer. Edinson Cavani is poised to leave the club when his contract expires next month, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo as their only senior striker.
A plethora of names have been linked with a move to Old Trafford to fill that void in recent weeks, including Sebastien Haller of Ajax and Benfica star Darwin Nunez. Kane has also often been linked with a move to M16, but United are unlikely to be able to pull that deal off as a result of failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Nevertheless, Sheringham believes United remain an attractive proposition for players, even though he has accepted that he is unsure if Kane would be prepared to make the move. Whether they can lure the Spurs ace to Old Trafford or not, the former United striker believes they must invest in a minimum of two centre-forwards this summer.
Sheringham told the Manchester Evening News: “At least two, yes. If he [Ronaldo] is the only one left at the club then they need at least three top strikers to be performing.
“I know they still have Marcus Rashford. However, they need to go and buy two more strikers at least, certainly of real quality.
“The obvious one that has been looking to move from Tottenham is Harry Kane. If I was Man United, I would break the bank to go and get him.
“Whether he would want to come to Man United with how things have been run at the club over the last year, I don’t know if he would want to come. But it would be very hard for anyone to turn down Man United because it is such a fantastic, big club as well.
“But at the moment, would top players go to Man United? That is how much they have fallen down the pecking order, because of the leadership at the club.”
Although United need to bolster their attacking options this summer, it is highly likely that Ronaldo will remain their first choice option. He has scored 24 goals this season and been a ray of light in a dark campaign for the club.
But despite scoring north of 20 goals, some United supporters and pundits have blamed him for the Reds’ demise. That is an argument Sheringham, who was speaking to the MEN on behalf of Genting Casino, disagrees with.
“I think that it is very harsh to label him that [the problem],” the former England international continued. “I think you have to change your style of play if you’re going to play with Ronaldo, because even now, this late in his career, he is not really an out-and-out No9.
“Of course, he is an unbelievable talent and you have to build your team around him and feed him with the ball. That is the best way to do it.”