‘Type of player we needed’ – Jaap Stam bemoans Man Utd transfer mistake | Football

Jaap Stam has questioned Manchester United’s decision to drop their pursuit of Harry Kane three years ago, insisting the striker was – and remains – ‘the type of player’ needed to take the club back towards the top of English football.

United had been long-term admirers of Kane and set their sights on landing the England captain in the summer of 2023 following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure midway through the previous campaign.

But the Red Devils subsequently cooled their interest in Kane, with club bosses reportedly reluctant to enter a bidding war which they were confident would have ended in failure.

There was also an acceptance at Old Trafford that Kane’s Champions League ambitions were likely to count against them given other potential suitors across Europe were far better equipped to win the prestigious trophy.

Kane would go on to end his 19-year stay with Tottenham to complete a record-breaking £95million switch to Bayern Munich, where he has further established himself as one of the most lethal attackers in the game with an extraordinary return of 140 goals and 33 assists in 145 appearances for the club.

Later that same summer, United wrapped up a £38m deal with Atalanta for Rasmus Hojlund, who flattered to deceive in his first two years in Manchester, before being sent on loan to Napoli last summer.

Three years on and former United defender Stam is ‘still thinking’ about what could have been had Kane wound up at the Theatre of Dreams, despite the forward winning a second Bundesliga title with Bayern this season.

‘He was linked to Manchester United once, and we keep thinking about that, but we don’t want to dwell on it anymore,’ Stam told ComeOn.

‘However, he is the type of player we needed to score goals because, in every aspect, a striker needs to play like that.’

Kane’s Bayern missed out on a place in this year’s Champions League final after coming up short at the semi-final stage, with the holders PSG winning 6-5 on aggregate over the two legs.

According to Stam, Bayern’s elimination will have cut deep and Kane will be even more hungry to add silverware to his collection next season due to his ‘character’ and ‘personality’.

‘I think Harry Kane needs to win a major trophy as an individual. I’ve seen him play so many times now, especially lately, over the last couple of years, even at Bayern. It’s a great team, and there’s a lot of pressure there,’ he added.

‘If you watch him play, you see how effective he is, not only scoring goals but also dropping deeper, linking up the play, and his high work-rate. I think he is a great, great professional.

‘Considering his character and great personality, he really needs to win a trophy.

‘To me, he looks like the type of guy you want to see win a trophy because of his attitude and how he conducts himself within the team. Yes, for him, it would be very nice.’

United have been tentatively linked with AC Milan winger Rafael Leao in recent months, with the Portuguese’s San Siro future up in the air

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan have ‘grown tired’ of waiting for Leao to deliver consistent numbers and could be prepared to sell the 26-year-old when the summer transfer window opens for business.

Stam, a member of United’s treble-winning side of 1999, has no doubts about Leao’s ‘potential – but believes the club will have to do their due diligence to determine whether or not he would be the right fit for the dressing room.

‘Maybe a swap between Rafael Leao and Marcus Rashford could work,’ the Dutchman explained.

‘Leao is also a good player. He has shown his potential at Milan, of course, in what he can do. I think he is a player that should be on the list of targets for Manchester United.

‘Having said that, you need to have a look not only at the skill of a player, but also at the mentality of players.

‘You need to consider the situation where the club is, what player they are bringing in that is going to help the club going forward, so that you don’t get any irritations from players who are not being picked to start.

‘We’ve seen that that can create a kind of a stir within the dressing room. So you need to have a look at the personality of players, at the whole picture, and what’s the best player to bring into the club.

‘It feels very exciting to bring in these types of players, but you don’t need to look at what’s the best for right now, you need to look at long-term projects and what’s very important for the club.’

Undoubtedly one of the most notable success stories since Michael Carrick took over the reins on an interim basis has been the resurgence of Kobbie Mainoo, who had effectively been frozen out by Ruben Amorim.

There had even been speculation Mainoo could leave his boyhood team in January, only for the England international to win back his place in the side, before signing a new long-term contract at the Theatre of Dreams.

‘Kobbie Mainoo staying will be a great signing,’ Stam said of the midfielder’s remarkable turnaround.

‘According to Ruben Amorim, Kobbie Mainoo didn’t fit in his system. There were talks about him leaving the club, which was, of course, unthinkable for us as ex-players because we know how the club acted with young players in the past, what they’ve done with young players, bringing them into the first team, and hopefully they can show their quality and become a first-team regular.

‘I think that’s what United stands for, helping young players be successful and having a connection with the academy, and then, of course, to get that connection with the fans. So, it was unthinkable for us to sell him as a player, but that’s how it goes in football.

‘If one manager doesn’t like the player, then people are thinking, ‘Okay, maybe then we need to sell him.’ That’s why I think it’s very important that the owners and the recruitment staff have their own ideas about how to build a club, how they want to be successful, and whether they want to implement young players. I think that’s very important to do.

‘It doesn’t matter which manager comes in, you need to stand for that and tell the manager that this is a very important subject of the club and what they want to do every year, every season, if the opportunity is there with young players, of course.

‘But now, with Kobbie, you see in the 4-3-3 that Michael Carrick is playing, that he’s very confident in his role. He keeps improving. He’s got the legs. People were worrying, especially with the two in the middle, “Can he then play box-to-box? Does he have the engine to make all these runs?”‘

On Mainoo, Stam continued: ‘You can see now in this system that he’s such a good player. Technically, he’s so good on the ball. He’s got skills.

‘His positional play is good. You can see that he can tackle, he can win balls. He’s got a bright idea about attacking football and giving other players the opportunity to also get in better positions.

‘For a young player like that, it’s great that he’s done that. It’s great that he picked that up as well after a very hard period for him. He probably learned a lot from that situation, although it’s not the best for him.

‘I’m very happy, and I think everybody within the club is very happy that he will sign a new deal.’

United’s hierarchy are expected to prioritise central midfield in the summer transfer market and a host of big names are rumoured to be targets, from Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson to Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali.

Given the extra games that Champions League qualification will bring next season, Stam feels two new additions in midfield may be required in order for the club to compete.

‘Everybody talks about replacing Casemiro, who had a great season this year and had such an impact,’ the ex-Netherlands international said.

‘He changed his game compared to the season before, becoming much fitter, scoring goals, and using his experience to help other players within his preferred system.

‘Even when older, experienced players improve when they have confidence, which I think is a normal thing. However, that midfield position is one they need to address.

‘They need to bring in one, or perhaps even two, extra midfield players who have the legs and the ability on the ball to handle the build-up and guide the team alongside Kobbie Mainoo.

‘This would allow Bruno Fernandes to play as a No.10, which is very important, as we’ve seen at United. So, everybody is thinking about that position.

‘Furthermore, if you qualify for the Champions League and have more games to play in a season, your squad needs to be strengthened. You need to bring in more players, or even better players, to maintain a certain quality of play.’

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