Berbatov questions why Kane would move to Manchester United

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:39 CDT
• 3 min read

Dimitar Berbatov believes Manchester United’s time without a Premier League trophy will play against them in any pursuit of Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

Kane is one of the most prolific forwards in European football and has added another dimension to his game in 2020/21 as only Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich has recorded more assists in Europe’s top five leagues.

READ MORE: Alternative to Kane and Haaland could cost Man Utd only €30m

Despite his ongoing excellence, his trophy cabinet remains empty as he is yet to win anything of note with Spurs, and with only a League Cup final left to play for this campaign, he could walk away for the Euros empty handed again.

They are currently down in seventh in the Premier League under Jose Mourinho, and were knocked out of the Europa League by Dinamo Zagreb which crucially took away another potential route back into the Champions League.

Speculation surrounding Kane’s future has intensified this campaign, with the England striker strongly linked to both Manchester United and Manchester City.

Kane to turn down Man Utd?

Berbatov, who played for both Man Utd and Tottenham, has questioned why Kane would move to Old Trafford, however, if his goal is to win trophies.

“If he is to leave Spurs I have no preferences to where he goes, as long as it is somewhere that sees him continue to play the same football,” the Bulgarian said in his Betfair column.

“But when you change your environment when you have been number one, people expect you to then produce straight away. When you don’t score straight away, people will get on top of you, that is how football is these days.

“If he moves, is it because he is looking for trophies? People are connecting him with United but they haven’t won the Premier League for eight years. He needs to go somewhere that will see him win trophies regularly. 

“What happens if he goes to a team and doesn’t win anything again? Then he will think, why did I change my environment if I’m not winning anything again?

“I think he will stay in England, so where does he go? Man City have a striking option with [Gabriel] Jesus. At United, Kane could fit in because they don’t have a typical centre-forward who is his age. Edinson Cavani is in the latter stages of his career. Liverpool have lots of talent up front and Arsenal is simply a no.

“He’s been linked with Chelsea, but will that be suitable for Spurs, selling to another London rival? There are lots of question marks, so he needs to read the game carefully and make the right decision. 

Berbatov ultimately believes that Kane will remain at Tottenham beyond the summer transfer window.

“The easiest decision is to stay at Spurs, he is a club legend and can break every record he wants there,” he continued.

“I don’t see Kane moving abroad, he is an England legend and everyone respects him and I think he will stay in this country.

“If Kane called me I would tell him he has to make the right choice, decide on his personal ambitions and motivations. If he leaves, he will let some people down. It is his decision and it is going to be a difficult one.”