Manchester United are “crying out for” Harry Kane, says Louis Saha, with the Red Devils being warned off Viktor Gyokeres and Jean-Philippe Mateta.

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• Red Devils missed out on England captain
• Have seen him star for German giants Bayern
• Search for proven No.9 continues at Old Trafford

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Devils have been in the market for a proven No.9 across several transfer windows. They believed that England captain Kane could be lured away from Premier League rivals Tottenham at one stage, but ultimately saw him head to Bayern Munich in 2023.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  More talk of big-money deals is raging in 2025, as Ruben Amorin is linked with a raid on former employers Sporting for Swedish sensation Gyokeres or domestic foes Crystal Palace for French frontman Mateta. United have, however, been told that Kane – at 31 years of age – remains the best option.

• WHAT LOUIS SAHA SAID

  That is the opinion of ex-Red Devils striker Saha, who has told when asked if he can see Kane returning to England: “I think so. When you look at his numbers, he may be older than he was two years ago, even though he has scored many for Bayern Munich. Part of that is a shame, because those goals could have won the Premier League [for United]. His performances would give confidence towards other players like Rasmus [Hojlund], like [Joshua] Zirzkee, and players around who need guidance, who need guarantees, who need leadership. That's the type of player that I want.

  “Gyokeres and Mateta are good players, definitely in form, but they’re not quite Kane’s calibre. The example I always use is that I came to a club where I played with [Ruud] van Nistelrooy. Basically the guy was scoring 30 goals if not 40 in a season. I learned from him and the pressure was on his shoulders. Then when I came to a point where I learned enough, I felt like that confidence and [Wayne] Rooney popped up and life was easy. That's not the case at the moment. Now there are young players playing at the top. It is dangerous to put another one in somewhere.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Saha added on the options available to United at present: “I think I really like [Victor] Osimhen. When you mention Gyokeres and Mateta, they are possibilities. Mateta is a French guy, so I would always like to favour the French guy. Amorim needs top quality players not just ones that are in form. Now, they need players who are really established at the top level, that they’re primed to improve and make another step up. You need guys who will give guaranteed goals.

  “I’m not saying Mateta and Gyokeres can’t do that, but right now it’s not established. And we've seen a few players being in good form, signing for Manchester United and not performing, and not being able to actually get the standard we expected to play with. For that strategy, they’re crying out for someone like Harry Kane, in the calibre of Harry Kane, that it’s known that he scores 30 goals a season, makes 20 assists. This is guaranteed.”