Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Manchester United wanted to sign Harry Kane last year but were unable to bring him to the club.
The England captain joined Bayern Munich and has scored 43 goals so far in his maiden Bundesliga season.
United instead brought in Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta, though the forward initially struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League, failing to score in his first 14 matches in the competition.
Overall, the forward has netted 14 times in all competitions, with eight of those coming in the top-flight, but Ten Hag admitted that the club did try to bring in a more high-profile striker.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "This club can only have outstanding players because the expectations are so high. Manchester United is the biggest, or maybe second or third, biggest club in the world, the highest fanbase, so expectations will always be there.
"Everyone has an opinion about Manchester United and it can only be outstanding players.
"That's players who have all the skill set, that is the physical and especially the mental skill set they need to perform and contribute because we have to win every game. There's an expectation around every game from us so you can only fulfil that expectation when you have those outstanding players.
"But in the last decade and in this period, we couldn't always get the players we wanted. But then you have to build, and you have to accept that you get talent in instead of players who already proved it in the past.
"We have had some choices made with talents like Rasmus Hojlund. I can see a striker who already proved it, who we want to sign, and we couldn't get him. And then we went to Rasmus because he's a talent."
When asked if the unnamed striker he was referring to was Kane, Ten Hag confirmed that the 30-year-old had been a target for them.
He continued: "Yes, and you know Harry Kane will get you 30 goals. I think Rasmus will get there, but he needs time. It's not fair to assess him the same as Harry Kane. I would never compare two players because they are very different.
"But with Hojlund, I think we had the biggest potential in the striker position last summer, and we are very happy with him. But he also needs time to adapt, and we are very pleased he showed his assets in scoring goals.
"He had a very good period where he scored many games after he showed it, but before and after, he had some physical issues, which is normal for a young player coming up. But it has a negative impact on the team result and that's what you have to accept."
Manning, daCosta Cup matches for Saturday postponed as referees withdraw services
All 30 games scheduled across the ISSA Manning and daCosta Cup competitions scheduled for Saturday have been called off due to referees refusing to work.
ISSA Competitions Officer Euan Scott confirmed the postponement of games scheduled for today.
Referees have opted to take strike action in relation to a pair of incidents that occurred in the daCosta Cup over the last few weeks.
One incident occurred during a game between Dinthill Technical and McGrath High last Saturday when a referee was involved in a confrontation with Dinthill players Maalick Whyte, Shamair Hutchinson and Tyrese Gowe after the game.
The referee was then allegedly physically assaulted by one of the players.
In a release on Thursday, after a meeting of its disciplinary committee, ISSA revealed that Whyte and Hutchinson have been banned from participating in any ISSA-run competitions for one year, effective September 26, 2024 while Gowe was hit with the three-match suspension.
The Linstead-based school was also placed on a three-year probation and faces the possibility of suspension should its players breach the disciplinary code of conduct within the period of probation.
The other incident occurred on September 14 when assistant referee Richard Ball allegedly was struck in the chest by a missile thrown from a group of spectators during a Zone A daCosta Cup game between Maldon High and Cornwall College.
Attempts by Sportsmax.tv to contact ISSA President Keith Wellington proved futile.
Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace: McNeil's brace secures first win of the season
Dwight McNeil’s brace secured Everton’s first three points of the Premier League season, as Sean Dyche's team completed a comeback of their own in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Amid news of a new takeover attempt at Everton during the week, the hosts also provided renewed hope on the pitch, as they continued their fine form against Palace at Goodison Park.
Marc Guehi gave the visitors an early lead, poking home at the near post, seeming to signal the continuation of Everton’s woes.
But Dyche’s side rallied after the break, with McNeil hitting the back of the net with a delightful long-range strike in the 47th minute before adding a second at the far post just seven minutes later.
Abdoulaye Doucoure had the opportunity to put the game to bed 10 minutes from the end as Dominic Calvert-Lewin set him through on goal, but a last-ditch challenge from Lacroix spared Palace’s blushes.
The win lifts Everton out of the relegation zone and into 16th, leapfrogging their opponents, who drop to 17th.
Data Debrief: Dyche's men comeback against the odds
Having dropped points from a winning position in their last three matches, Everton's win was the first time they had picked up three points after trailing at half-time in the Premier League since 19th May 2022 against the same opponents.
Meanwhile, it is the first time Crystal Palace have lost an away game after leading at half-time in the Premier League since August 2022 against Manchester City.
It leaves the visitors without a win in their last six games in the Premier League. Their last longer winless streak was from 11 November 2023 to 27 December 2023, a run of eight games.
Wolves 1-2 Liverpool: Salah spot-kick sends Reds top of Premier League
Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League table as Mohamed Salah's penalty handed them a 2-1 victory over Wolves at Molineux.
Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Newcastle United earlier on Saturday handed Arne Slot's Reds a chance to go top, and Salah hit the winner from the spot after Nelson Semedo fouled former Wolves man Diogo Jota.
Ibrahima Konate had nodded Liverpool into the lead before his mistake at the other end allowed Rayan Ait-Nouri to briefly draw Wolves level early in the second half.
Wolves never looked likely to equalise for a second time as their wait for a first win of the season continued, with Liverpool going close to a third goal on a couple of occasions late on.
Wolves kept Liverpool quiet throughout the first half only to see their resolve broken in stoppage time, Sam Johnstone failing to keep out Konate's header after Jota crossed from the left.
Konate went from Liverpool hero to villain as Wolves levelled soon after the restart, though. A mix-up between him and Alisson allowed Jorgen Strand Larsen to steal possession, with his cutback eventually turned home by Ait-Nouri.
But within three minutes of the equaliser, Semedo pulled Jota back to concede a penalty, which Salah confidently dispatched for the winner, with Wolves wilting from then on.
While the result took Liverpool one point clear of City and Arsenal at the summit, Wolves remain rooted to the bottom with just one point from six matches.
Data Debrief: Salah punishes sloppy Wolves
Salah was kept quiet for the most part at Molineux, but there was never any doubt about the outcome when he stepped up for Liverpool's 61st-minute spot-kick.
Salah now has eight goal involvements in six Premier League games this term (four goals, four assists), a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer, who have 10 apiece after the latter scored four first-half goals for Chelsea on Saturday.
The Egyptian has also scored in three successive away games in the competition for the first time since October 2021, when he enjoyed a run of five straight road matches with a goal.
It was Semedo's error that gave Salah the chance to snatch the points from the spot, and since his Premier League debut in September 2020, only Matty Cash (six) has conceded more penalties in the competition than his five.
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