IN THEIR PRIME, signing big-name players who had a transformative effect was Man United’s speciality.

Think back to the acquisition of footballers like Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo, and right up to Alex Ferguson’s last season in charge, Robin van Persie — all these individuals inspired the club to great heights and had a swift impact.

It was also true during the Ferguson era on the rare occasions that a player excelled for a consistently underperforming Spurs side, they would often end up making the move north to United — it was true of Teddy Sheringham, Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov.

Yet to say things have changed in the game would be an understatement.

Modern football has moved on since the Ferguson era. The sport has become much more tactically sophisticated and system-based.

Simply signing a player perceived to be a world-class footballer is not the get-out-of-jail card it once was — a lesson United have been slow to learn. The arrival of Paul Pogba and Ronaldo (in his second spell) were hailed as game-changing deals that could potentially resurrect the glory days, but neither signing proved to be a success and arguably exacerbated the team’s problems in both instances despite their obvious individual talents.

Yet the one superstar they have been linked with perhaps more than any other in recent years will line out at Old Trafford tonight, but on the opposing team, Bayern Munich.

For a long time, it felt as if every transfer window, there was renewed speculation about Kane potentially joining United.

As far back as May 2021, Kane conducted an interview with Gary Neville hinting at his desire to leave the North London outfit, which reportedly left Spurs chairman Daniel Levy furious.

Less than three months after that interview, Neville was urging United to go “all-out” to sign Kane. Yet by the end of the month, it was Ronaldo rather than Kane who made a sensational switch to Old Trafford.

Neville repeated his advice to the Old Trafford board that the club should try to sign Kane in May 2022, January 2023 and May 2023.

And he was not the only United legend pushing the club to buy Kane — Roy Keane made the point in October 2019 and regularly reiterated it in the intervening years, while Alex Ferguson has also repeatedly sung Kane’s praises.

So why did the move not happen despite the numerous calls in the media (and likely behind the scenes) for United to act?

Of all the English clubs, the Red Devils seemed in the best position to purchase Kane.

It’s doubtful he would have been willing to join Spurs’ London rivals Chelsea or Arsenal.

And following their failed pursuit of Kane in the summer of 2021, City turned their attention to Erling Haaland.

Kane was linked with Liverpool, but it never seemed concrete or felt like the right fit, with the Anfield club boasting numerous strong alternatives and very different attacking options.

By contrast, with Ronaldo’s departure and the loan signing of Wout Wehgorst last season, it was obvious United desperately needed a player of Kane’s calibre in the summer.

Multiple reports indicated Old Trafford was Kane’s preferred destination, while Ten Hag also reportedly ideally wanted a striker with a proven Premier League track record as opposed to the player he ended up signing — 20-year-old Rasmus Højlund for a slightly more affordable €84 million.

But it did not happen for a variety of factors, chiefly Levy’s reluctance to sell to a Premier League rival, the hefty price tag and wages (reportedly his salary is £500,000 including the signing-on fee and bonuses) for a player who was turning 30 during the summer and the uncertainty over United’s ownership all contributing to Kane joining Bayern instead for €110 million, a Bundesliga record fee.

United did eventually sign a Spurs player — but it’s fair to say Sergio Reguilón would not have been top of most fans’ wanted list, with the Spaniard having fallen out of favour at his parent club before a Deadline Day loan move that provided Ten Hag with cover for some injuries at left-back.

The failure to land Kane could come back to haunt the Red Devils in the Champions League against Bayern Munich this evening, as was the case in the reverse fixture, as Kane scored and assisted amid a 4-3 victory for the German giants.

Boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed the England striker will start this evening, despite Bayern having already won the group, as they look to preserve a six-year, 39-game unbeaten run in the group stages.

And even if United triumph against the odds, they still face Champions League elimination unless the other match in their group between Copenhagen and Galatasaray finishes in a draw.

Defeat, meanwhile, would end Ten Hag’s men’s interest in Europe altogether, with not even the consolation of a Europa League spot to fall back on.

Of course, signing Kane in the summer would not necessarily have been the answer to the club’s prayers.

The current United side is hardly much better than the Spurs teams that even a player as great as Kane struggled to turn into a genuine title contender during most of the seasons he was there.

But the England star certainly would have added a degree of leadership and commitment that has been conspicuously absent from some players’ games at Old Trafford of late.

Moreover, as 26 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions so far this season illustrates, Kane remains among the finest strikers in world football and a player who would be an asset to any top club.