Former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham has urged the club to "break the bank" for Tottenham forward Harry Kane, claiming that the Reds do not have a "proper centre-forward".
Erik ten Hag saw six new signings arrive this summer for a jaw-dropping spend of £225million. Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Antony and Martin Dubravka all made the move to Old Trafford ahead of the September 1 deadline.
Of the new arrivals, only Antony and Eriksen are likely to contribute goals or assists on a regular basis. Cristiano Ronaldo's lack of form this season, combined with Anthony Martial's injury struggles, have left United in need of a reliable centre-forward to lead the line for them.
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This is an issue that Sheringham has picked up on, as the former Red sympathised with the situation facing United's new manager.
He told Gambling.com : “They’ve not really got a proper centre-forward, have they? Ten Hag has got one of the hardest jobs in world football at the moment. He’s come in at United and is trying to get them all rowing in the same direction, but without a recognised centre-forward up there leading the line and scoring the goals I think he’ll find it difficult.
“He’s tried a few different players up there. Martial goes up there, Rashford and Ronaldo, but none of them, in my eyes, are proper centre-forwards. The way I see it, they’re all players who are best off playing off a centre-forward. I like Antony, he’s looked quite lively, and I rate [Jadon] Sancho too, even though we’ve yet to see the best of him.
“But when they’re playing with Ronaldo as their centre-forward, they’re finding it tough. I know he’s scored an untold amount of goals, but it’s not always just about scoring goals, you’ve got to lead the line as well and he doesn’t do that for me.
“You’ve got to have the right personnel to play the position properly – that’s what makes a team function, and I think that’s why they’ve struggled at times this season.”
Sheringham knows exactly who United should be targeting in the upcoming transfer window, as he urged his former side to spend big, but only on the right player.
“If they’re going to go out and break the bank for someone, go out and get Harry Kane. He’s the type of centre-forward they lack, a proper professional, he leads the line and you’ll always get 100% out of him. He’s a proper player, so go break the bank for him. I know that’s going to upset the Tottenham fans but we’re talking about Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“They should be doing this sort of thing instead of spending money on players who only might do the job for you.”
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