Andy Cole aims dig at Manchester United's transfer policy decisions amid centre forward search
Man United are aiming to sign a new striker this summer with the position remaining a priority signing for Erik ten Hag's side
Andy Cole has criticised former club Manchester United for their centre-forward transfer policy in recent years with targeting older players rather than opting for young talents who could lead the line for a longer time.
A new striker is the priority position to fill at United this summer, especially after the club has already added to the midfield department and goalkeeping areas. Mason Mount has joined from Chelsea, as has Andre Onana from Inter Milan, with an official announcement on the latter due soon.
Several players have been mentioned as being on United's shortlist this summer. These include Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen of Napoli, Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund and Randal Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt.
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A new centre forward has been clearly needed at Old Trafford since last season, when Cristiano Ronaldo abruptly left last November and Wout Weghorst's January loan acquisition proving to ultimately be a stop-gap signing.
Former United striker Cole admits that if the opportunity to sign Kane becomes a reality, then the club should not turn it down. But he believes United ought to be targeting younger strikers who are nearer the start of their career, rather than bringing in those who are nearer to the end of it, like they have with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani in recent years.
Speaking to MUTV, Cole said: “I'm not going to say that if Harry Kane became available for the right money I'd turn him down, obviously not. But I think what Manchester United have been doing, for the past five or six years, is bringing people in who are in their mid-30s or late 30s for a couple of years, then we do it again the season after and we do it again.
“That's why we've found ourselves in this position now. Long-term, we've not looked for that young centre-forward who can carry Manchester United in for the next five to 10 years or whatever it may be.
“That's what Manchester United has been built on - the manager going into a season with three or four strikers. You're guaranteed what you're going to get. You might move someone else on, but you've got someone at that age who can carry the club forward.
“For instance, my position, I moved on, Ruud van Nistelrooy was there and went on for many years. But we're buying older centre forwards for a hell of a lot of money and then find ourselves in the same position a couple of years later. This is Manchester United – we're better than that.”
Former United captain Bryan Robson agreed that Erik ten Hag's side need to invest in a centre-forward if the Old Trafford side are to bridge the gap to the top of the Premier League. He believes Ten Hag's side are solid at the back but lag behind several other top-flight rivals at the other end of the pitch with the number of times they can finish chances.
Robson said: “Everybody connected to the club, everybody within the club, is talking about the fact we need a centre forward. We need to catch up with Manchester City, even Arsenal – Newcastle score a lot more goals than us.
“So defensively, we are looking pretty good, but you've got to score goals to win games and get up there challenging for the title.
“We all know that, so hopefully we can get a few people out of the door for decent money and can get the funds that are needed to bring a striker in, because everybody knows we need a striker.”
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