With just four matches of the Premier League campaign remaining, Manchester United's destiny remains in their own hands.
The Reds are currently fourth in the table, one place and one point ahead of Liverpool. The Merseysiders have hit form at just the right time, winning each of their last six league matches, while United have won just one of their last four.
It means that United, who were seemingly coasting towards a top-four finish only a few weeks ago, now run the risk of missing out on Champions League qualification for the second season in a row. Importantly, however, it is key to remember that Erik ten Hag's side do have a game in hand on Liverpool and three of their last four matches are at Old Trafford.
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Nevertheless, United can ill afford to take anything for granted after back-to-back defeats to Brighton and West Ham United. Both defeats saw them fail to score, losing each game by a goal to nil, once again highlighting their ongoing struggles in front of goal.
United have scored just 49 league goals this season, making them the lowest scorers among the Premier League's current top seven. Furthermore, Aston Villa have only scored fewer goals (46) than United in the top 10.
As has been well-documented on a regular basis in recent months, the Reds are in desperate need of adding a striker to their ranks this forthcoming summer and Ten Hag has pinpointed Tottenham Hotspur ace Harry Kane as his preferred target. Napoli ace Victor Osimhen, who was first identified as a target by the club back in November, is also on their radar.
The pair have enjoyed terrific campaigns for their respective clubs, scoring 28 goals apiece in all competitions. Kane's contract at Spurs is up in just over a year's time, meaning this summer could represent the Londoners' last chance to sell him for a sizeable fee, while Osimhen is attracting interest from a plethora of big-name European clubs.
Both have regularly been quizzed on their respective futures throughout the season and have, unsurprisingly, attempted to distance themselves from ongoing speculation, just as most footballers do in this modern era. They are not alone in that sense, not by any stretch of the imagination.
Osimhen, who joined Napoli from Lille in July 2020, however, has made no secret of his admiration for English football, admitting back in March that it is his "dream" to play in the Premier League, offering hope that he would be open to the idea of joining United this summer, in the event of them convincing Napoli to sell.
"I think playing in one of the top five leagues in the world (Serie A) is an amazing feeling for me," said Osimhen. "A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league but now I'm in one of the best leagues in the world which is the Italian Serie A.
"I'm working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League someday but, like I said, it's a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well."
Addressing his hunger and desire to play in the Premier League would tick a box for Ten Hag. The Dutchman is as big on personality and character as he is on footballing ability, something he has highlighted throughout this season with his regular references to mentality and determination.
Kane, on the other hand, has often cited his hunger to win silverware and to continue breaking and setting records. He is the Premier League's second-highest goalscorer of all time and with the exception of a few Golden Boots he has nothing to show for it. He deserves the opportunity to start winning trophies and United, you would argue, could grant him that opportunity sooner than Spurs, such are the current differences in the clubs' respective trajectories.
At the time of Manchester City sniffing around his signature back in the summer of 2021, Kane outlined how he has ambitions to keep getting better and better, again offering Ten Hag an insight into his mentality and hunger as an individual.
"I feel like I've still got almost another career to play," said Kane. "I've got seven, eight years, of what I've already had in the Premier League, so I'm not rushing anything, I'm not desperate to do anything.
"I'm not afraid to say I want to be the best. I want to try and get to the level [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi got to. That's my ultimate goal, to be winning trophies season-in, season-out and scoring 50, 60, 70 goals season-in, season-out.
"I've still got so much more to give. I can produce better numbers than I'm producing at the moment."
Kane has every right to feel confident about increasing his numbers. He has consistently delivered the goods in a poor Spurs side, even this season where standards have significantly dropped as a result of mismanagement at the top of the club.
Like Osimhen, he would add the guarantee of goals to United, something that they must address as a priority this summer. However, their hopes of signing either of them will rest on their next four games. It is top four or bust.
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