Rasmus Højlund has done three things that Harry Kane couldn’t to prove Erik ten Hag right

Rasmus Højlund is just days away from completing his move to Manchester United with Erik ten Hag finally getting his hands on a striker.

On Saturday evening, it was reported that Manchester United and Atalanta had agreed on a fee of around £60 million plus a further £12m in add-ons for Rasmus Højlund.

It is a deal that has seen Erik ten Hag finally secure himself a central striker who he believes can lead the forward line for years to come after Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Wout Weghorst, and Cristiano Ronald all failed to prove themselves in the position last season.

Read More: Erik ten Hag told he has signed the wrong striker for Manchester United

However, Højlund was not the initial first choice – when the transfer window first opened, it was claimed that Ten Hag wanted Harry Kane to be the new face of United’s front line.

The events that subsequently unfolded eventually led to United dropping their interest in Kane and instead during to Højlund. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy demanded £100m for Kane and explained that the club would not sell to a Premier League rival.

Kane was said to be ‘desperate’ to join United, but, rather surprisingly, he did not force a move. With one year left on his contract, at the time, then-Tottenham owner Joe Lewis demanded that Kane be sold this summer instead of allowed to leave for free the year after, and had Kane pushed for the move, it likely would have materialised.

Ten Hag is said to be ‘in love’ with Kane, but as fate has it, Kane’s failure to prove himself in wanting to join United has meant he did not seal his move and is instead close to finalising a transfer to German club Bayern Munich.

Højlund, on the other hand, has gone the extra mile in order to secure his move to Old Trafford – behaviour that both Ten Hag and United fans will greatly appreciate.

Being just 20 years old, Højlund is one of the most exciting prospects across European football. Ten Hag believes that although Højlund is still raw, he can create an atmosphere where the Danish striker can become one of the most lethal strikers in Europe.

Read More: Erik ten Hag told he has signed the wrong striker for Manchester United

Højlund himself made three key choices in order to secure his move, forcing his way to Old Trafford in the way Kane did not have the “cajones” (as Troy Deeney puts it) to do himself.

First, Højlund declared publically that he is a boyhood Manchester United fan – indicating that he would do whatever it took in order to join the club of his dreams.

Secondly, he moved to a new agency, the SEG agency, which also represents Ten Hag, on a three-month trial, telling them that if they did not get him his move to United, he would leave and find a new agency to represent him.

Finally, despite other offers such as concrete interest from PSG, he was only focused on United. It is said that even though the French club offered him a higher wage package, he had no interest in the move, only wanting to play at Old Trafford.

Overall Højlund has proved himself to Erik ten Hag that he was the correct decision between him and Kane, as both his words and his actions demonstrated his desire to play for United over anyone.

Højlund is expected to sign his contract early next week and will be available to play one of United’s final two pre-season fixtures this summer against Lens or Athletic Club.

He has already been a part of Atalanta’s pre-season training, so fitness is not expected to be much of an issue.