Manchester United’s ‘world-class’ target was labelled just as good as Harry Kane

Add as preferred source on Google

Mauro Icardi and Harry Kane are, as strikers go, pretty much chalk and cheese. The former an old-school, penalty-box poaching throwback, and the latter a very modern sort of player. A number 10 and a number nine rolled into one. 

But, when it comes to sticking the ball in the back of the net, you’d struggle to even slip a cigarette paper between two of the finest – if contrasting – centre-forwards of the modern era. 

“I can’t choose who is the best between them,” AC Milan icon Filippo ‘Pippo’ Inzaghi told The Sun back in 2018. “For me, they can play together and, as a coach, I’d like to train such fantastic players. 

“Icardi is a very good striker in the box because he can find his space thanks to lethal movement. Kane, thanks to his physical presence, can play in all positions of midfield and attack because he has that strength.” 

Manchester United linked with Mauro Icardi swoop

Should Icardi end up joining Man United from Galatasaray in the January window – the Football Transfers website believes the Argentina international is keen on that idea – Red Devils supporters should not expect to see Icardi drop deep and fizz inch-perfect passes out to the wing, a la Kane. 

But put a ball in the box, play a pass in behind, and you can expect only one result.

With over 200 career goals – including 41 in 50 games since joining Galatasaray from Paris Saint-Germain – the former Inter Milan captain cannot quite match Harry Kane’s stunning career average of a goal every 0.6 games. But he is certainly not far off. 

“Among the great attackers I have faced, I highly value Icardi. Inside the area, he is almost impossible to mark,” Juventus legend Giorgio Chiellini wrote in his autobiography, via PSG Talk.

“Mauro against Juve has often scored, (and) it hurt me. He’s a world-class centre-forward, even if he lacks something in the collective game. He’s lethal in the air.” 

41 goals in 50 Galatasaray games

Of course, signing Icardi is no absolute guarantee of goals for Manchester United. Rasmus Hojlund is yet to open his Premier League account, though that is more due to the performances of United’s widemen. Chances, for the most part, have been at a premium for Hojlund with Antony and Marcus Rashford underperforming and Alejandro Garnacho – for all his potential – yet to perfect his end-product. 

Icardi, then, could find himself hurtling headfirst into the same problems which have plagued Hojlund in England. For all his strengths, he lacks Kane’s penchant for creating and taking goalscoring opportunities all on his own, more reliant upon service from his team-mates.

But if Rashford and Antony can rediscover last season’s form, if Garnacho can polish up his decision making, then there is no reason why Icardi cannot maintain his goal-every-other-game average in the red of Manchester United.