If Erik ten Hag gets his way, Thursday night's trip to Tottenham Hotspur will be the last time that Manchester United have to deal with the threat of Harry Kane.
The United manager, who watched his side reach the FA Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, beating Brighton & Hove Albion on penalties, has earmarked the England captain as his primary transfer target ahead of the summer transfer window. The Reds are desperate to strengthen their forward options and Kane is Ten Hag's dream signing.
He has established himself as one of the best strikers in the world over the last few years and he would add the guarantee of goals to United's squad. He would also strengthen his chances of winning his first-ever piece of silverware if he was to seal a move to Old Trafford.
READ MORE: Alejandro Garnacho has already made United's decision for him
Tottenham's crushing 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon saw their top four ambitions taking an almighty hit, resulting in chairman Daniel Levy sacking interim head coach Cristian Stellini just over 24 hours later. Spurs have no clear plan in place and are fast becoming a laughing stock, meaning Kane should jump ship in the summer.
They have won just one of their last five league games and have conceded nine goals in their last two. If there was ever a good time for United to play them, even though they could regain some confidence from having a different figure in the dugout, with Ryan Mason having been placed in temporary charge, this is it.
Or so you would like to think.
For all of the progress that United have made under Ten Hag this season, so far featuring a trophy and the prospect of winning another one in June, their away form continues to hold them back. The Reds have consistently struggled on the road in big matches since the start of last season and it has been a problem that Ten Hag has so far been unable to eradicate.
United, so far this season, have faced seven of the other nine teams that currently make up the top half of the Premier League table away from home and have lost to six of them, winning just once. Across those six defeats, they have conceded a whopping 25 goals, scoring just six.
They have been hammered by Brentford (4-0), Manchester City (6-3) and Liverpool (7-0) and were completely outclassed by both Newcastle United (2-0) and Aston Villa (3-1), even though the scorelines were not as horrifying. They did, to their credit, put up more of a fight in their 3-2 defeat at Arsenal in January.
United also lost 3-0 to Sevilla in Spain last week without putting up any sort of fight. They cannot shake off the ability to implode away from home when the going gets tough.
It is why the prospect of the same happening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium does not bear thinking about. Spurs are a sinking ship at this moment in time and the thought of them, with all of their ongoing problems both on and off the pitch, beating United is a concern.
There is, of course, nothing to say United will get beat. The Reds have won each of the last four meetings and produced one of their best performances of the season in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford back in October, where goals from Bruno Fernandes and Fred sealed a 2-0 win.
However, in the back of your mind, there is always that fear that United could get beaten because of their record away from home against top-half clubs. It has become too big an issue to simply ignore, and Ten Hag must find a way to fix it, especially if the Reds are to have the faintest chance of challenging for the title next season.
They continue to shirk at the first sign of pressure away from Old Trafford and that will give Mason confidence that he can deliver a result and restore some Tottenham pride after such a heavy beating on Tyneside. United, therefore, must make sure that they do not roll over and let the Londoners take charge.
Without the added spice of a win moving United nine points clear of Spurs in the race for Champions League qualification, their recent results and performances should do Ten Hag's team talk for him. Spurs are vulnerable and weak right now meaning United should make the very most of it.
If they don't, their away day struggles will be highlighted all the more.
READ NEXT:
