Manchester United's only answer to Erling Haaland was obvious and Erik ten Hag knew it

Goals were a major problem for Manchester United during the Erik ten Hag era and, yet, one potential solution he earmarked would have pretty much guaranteed them.

United have spent £100million-plus on two strikers since they side-stepped a move for Harry Kane last summer. At that juncture, key figures in the Old Trafford boardroom opted against even trying to play ball with Daniel Levy and the England captain eventually touched down at Bayern Munich.

Although striking up business with such a fearsome negotiator would have been tricky to say the least, had things gone to plan in that respect then seeing Kane in a United shirt would have been the perfect answer to Manchester City boasting Erling Haaland in their ranks.

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As it turned out, United earmarked a raw Rasmus Hojlund as the man to replace Cristiano Ronaldo front and centre in attacking quarters, while Joshua Zirkzee was summoned this summer to provide cover and competition. But now the Old Trafford giants are said to be having "major doubts" about his £36.5million transfer.

Buy cheap, buy twice as the saying goes. Hojlund and Zirkzee were not particularly cheap, it has to be said, and the former in particular might have the ability to justify his price tag. However, in Kane, there was the finished article to at least try and find the catalyst to wrestle back bragging rights in this famous footballing city.

Plenty of ifs, buts and maybes, you might argue, but United went down the project route and the man at the front of that is no longer in town. It's over to Ruben Amorim to try and nurture Hojlund and Zirkzee to the next level, but whispers linking him with a swoop for Viktor Gyokeres speak volumes.

That would-be transfer will be impossible in January and difficult next summer. Ultimately, though, there's perhaps every chance Amorim will knock at the boardroom door, eventually, and ask Ineos to scribble out a sizable cheque for Gyokeres or another ready-made, top-level striker who can do the business for United right now.

It could and, arguably, should have been Kane - despite the complications around a deal.

In the near-18 months that have passed since United side-stepped a push for his signature, even though Kane was spoken about in-house, the former Tottenham captain has plundered goal after goal for the German heavyweights. On Friday night, he even broke another eye-catching Bundesliga record.

Kane scored a hat-trick to gun down Augsburg at the Allianz Arena to take his tally to the season to 20 goals in 17 matches in all competitions. Staggeringly, that was his 50th goal in the Bundesliga already - with the England man needing just 43 matches to reach that milestone and shatter a certain Haaland's record in the process.

Of course, there's no guarantee he would have been quite so prolific under Ten Hag at United - especially so when he would have been judged up against star-studded City with Haaland leading their line - but where there was will there was a Kane... and it's a case of what might have been with United in no position to sign him now.

It's not particularly en vogue to say Ten Hag was right. But he just might have been in this case.