Merson slams Man Utd attacker who ‘shouldn’t be playing’ under Ten Hag – ‘they need Kane’

Paul Merson has previewed West Ham’s home game against Man Utd and he has highlighted Erik ten Hag’s need for “a Harry Kane up front” from next season.

The Red Devils will be in the market for a new striker this summer. Wout Weghorst was brought in on loan in January after Cristiano Ronaldo left to sign for Al-Nassr.

Weghorst has struggled in recent weeks and it is being reported that

Anthony Martial started for Man Utd on Thursday night as Ten Hag’s team were beaten 1-0 by Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Frenchman was superb for United during pre-season but he has been out of action for much of this campaign due to his injury issues.

and he could leave in the summer.

Merson thinks Man Utd will drop points against West Ham this weekend and he expects Ten Hag to “change” his front three this summer.

“Manchester United have been terrible away from home this season. They played alright against Brighton, but the seagulls were better in the second half and scored a deserved stoppage-time winner to secure all three points at the Amex Stadium,” Merson told Sportskeeda.

“I think this game will end 1-1, but I still fancy Manchester United to secure a top-four finish this season and return to the UEFA Champions League. As for West Ham, I don’t see them getting relegated and they also have the UEFA Conference League semi-final to look forward to, so the 2022-23 season could still be memorable for the Hammers.

“Manchester United’s current front three is Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Antony, but I think there will be changes this summer, 1 million per cent.

“They are 16 points behind Manchester City at the moment and the same team next season will not get anywhere close to the Premier League title. They need a Harry Kane up front. Anthony Martial – seriously? He shouldn’t be playing for Manchester United, sorry.”

Kane is out of contract in 2024 and he is understood to be valued at around £100m this summer. Gary Neville has explained why Spurs can’t sell him.

“They are going to have to let him wind down his contract. They will need to build around him next season with a new manager. If he leaves in the summer, and a new manager comes in, will he really want to take the job if he’s a big name without Kane there?

“They may just have to swallow the fact that they’re not going to get a fee for him or try to encourage him to stay during that season. The new manager that comes in is going to want to keep the pair of Kane and Son Heung-min together.”