United secured a £72M deal for Atalanta's promising Danish forward Hojlund in August 2023 who has since struggled under the pressure of the club and the intensity of the Premier League. The club’s striker spot could have been filled with a number of other talented stars however McCarthy reveals as he spoke to Ladbrokes.
"In the summer of 2023, Harry Kane was our No. 1 target," McCarthy, who departed from his coaching role at United in 2024, exclusively told Ladbrokes at the launch of Gaffer of all Accas. "Kane was the prime target, but obviously, the price tag was an issue. Because he would have been leaving Spurs for United, a few extra million pounds were added on to the price tag.
"But for £100M, if you look at it now, you'd say that it would have been well worth it because he's gone to Bayern and he's still producing, he's still scoring. So you think we should have just bitten the bullet and got Harry Kane and then also tried to invest in Rasmus Hojlund.
"That would have been the best thing for Rasmus if he had if he had someone like Harry Kane involved. So, yeah, Harry Kane was Erik's No. 1 target. Erik really wanted him. Kolo Muani was also very high on that list. Victor Osimhen was also on that list. But I felt that if you're going to want to spend that kind of money - £100million plus - then you want a complete package.
"Harry Kane, for me, was the complete package. But unfortunately, the club didn't see it that way. They looked at it as Rasmus Hojlund, in the long run would be a more prized asset than investing in both Rasmus and Harry Kane. So we stopped pursuing Kane, and we ended up getting just Rasmus."
Kane has since scored an astonishing 73 goals in just 75 appearances for the German giants, Osimhen has bagged 19 times in 24 outings whilst on loan at Galatasaray and Muani has since made an impact at Juventus. McCarthy admits that Muani would have been a better choice for the club due to his high work rate.
"I think they could have gone for someone else, like a player who was suggested when I was there: Randal Kolo Muani," McCarthy said. "Muani is only 26, but he's vastly experienced. He's played in the World Cup final.
"He's got that aura about him where he also wants to achieve things. I thought he would have been someone who would have been really good for Man United because he's also not shy about working hard. He works tirelessly, and he knows where the goal is. So he would have been an ideal player."
Hojlund has scored just 7 goals in 32 appearances this season under manager Ruben Amorim who is failing to turn the club around after a dire start to their campaign. The striker is just 22 years old and is clearly feeling the pressure off so much responsibility up front which may lead United to step back into the transfer market at the end of the season.