EVEN when Manchester United won the Treble in 1999, there was no sense Sir Alex Ferguson’s team had turned English football into a one-horse race. United need countless comebacks to get their hands on three trophies. They finished just one point above Arsenal in the Premier League table. Manchester City’s Treble, however, feels different.

In England and Europe, nobody could stop City. Once they caught Arsenal in the title race, Pep Guardiola’s side strolled to a fifth Premier League title in six seasons, winning 12 straight matches to clinch it. In the FA Cup final, City only needed to find second or third gear to sweep aside United and it was a similar story in the latter stages of the Champions League.

As things stand, there is an ever-growing gulf between the best and the rest at the top of football. Indeed, Manchester City are setting a new standard and there’s no reason to believe they will be caught any time soon. This could be the start of an unprecedented period of dominance for a single club.

City’s rivals have no choice but to try catching them, though, and Manchester United can at least feel they are heading in the right direction under Erik Ten Hag. A third-place finish and two cup finals, one of which United won, was a much better outcome than many predicted before the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

United’s need for a world class number nine is clear and one name is reportedly at the top of their shortlist – Harry Kane. The 29-year-old is believed to be keen on a move to Old Trafford this summer and his signing is perhaps the only way Manchester United could possibly catch City next season.

Kane’s numbers are astonishing. He netted 30 league goals last term despite playing for a dysfunctional Tottenham Hotspur team that finished outside the European places and had three different managers over the course of the season. For context, United’s three out-and-out number nines (Anthony Martial, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wout Weghorst) last season scored just seven league goals between them.

It’s not just Kane’s productivity in front of goal that makes him so attractive to Ten Hag, it’s that he is one of the best final third conductors around. His passing range is the best of any centre forward’s at this moment in time. England and Spurs play through Kane just as much as they into him. Only Karim Benzema has a similar skill set.

The theory is Kane would bring the best out of his new teammates. Marcus Rashford would have someone to bounce off and draw opposition defenders away from him. Bruno Fernandes would have someone to make runs beyond. Antony would have someone to aim for with his left-footed crosses into the middle. Kane could bring cohesion to the unit as a whole.

Under Ten Hag, Manchester United have strengthened the spine of their team. Casemiro and Lisandro, both signed last summer, gave them steel and spirit and this was reflected in a vastly improved defensive record – United conceded 43 times in the Premier League this season compared to 57 last season.

In attack, though, Manchester United found the back of the net just 58 times, the fewest times of any top six team. Brentford, who finished ninth, scored the same number of goals as Ten Hag’s team. This is where the biggest improvement can be made this season and the addition of Kane would be a guaranteed way to lift that number. It might be the only way United can bridge the gap to City.