REVEALED: Man United’s £50m striker bid which was ‘laughed off’ this summer before landing £72m Rasmus Hojlund after missing out on Harry Kane

Manchester United’s search for a striker this season saw them finally land the inexperienced and largely untested Rasmus Hojlund for £72m after missing out on Harry Kane – but he wasn’t the only missed target.

United once again invested a significant amount in improving their squad this summer, bringing in Andre Onana, Mason Mount, Altay Bayindir, Sofyan Amrabat and Hojlund, all of whom cost a combined £191.2m.

It came in a summer that saw Kane, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham – three of the world’s best players – move on, with United never seeming close to signing any, despite their long links with Kane.

This perhaps marks their fall from the leading European destinations, no longer managing to truly attract the attention of the best English players in the world.

However, reports of ESPN has emerged, insinuating Kane wasn’t the only striker target they failed to land, with a £50m bid for another Premier League star ‘ridiculed’ by their club .

Rasmus Hojlund was signed for £72m by Atalanta but is largely untested at the highest level

Harry Kane was linked with a move from Spurs to Old Trafford before joining Bayern Munich

Evan Ferguson is believed to have been a target for the Red Devils, but their reported approach was seen as so broad that it was treated with derision by Brighton.

The Republic of Ireland striker has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most promising attacking talents in recent seasons.

He has already been linked with United and Arsenal at the age of 18 after breaking into the first team during the Europa League qualifiers at Brighton last season.

This season, however, he has already started in great form, scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle in their 3-1 demolition of the Magpies, as well as a goal against Luton on matchday one.

But such is his talent, along with the nature of the current transfer market, that £50m may not even be half his valuation at the Seagulls, who have seen their brightest youngsters poached for a fee exorbitant in recent seasons.

He missed the majority of the game through injury, but Ferguson’s Brighton hammered home the point(s) again with a 3-1 win at Old Trafford to show that while United may have stagnated, those at the bottom the pecking order have caught up. .

During Sir Alex Ferguson’s time at United, it seemed the club were always among the favorites for the biggest transfer deals of the window, but this rebuttal highlights just how far the club has fallen.

Although they have qualified for the competition several times since then, 2008 was the last time they reached the Champions League final and in the last 11 years they have only reached the last 16 of final only twice.

Evan Ferguson reportedly the subject of a £50m bid from United, sparking laughter

Ferguson missed most of the match through injury, but came off the bench during United’s 3–1 defeat.

Erik ten Hag faces Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday evening

Domestically too, their dominance has declined markedly, without a Premier League crown for a decade and having won just one FA Cup and two League Cups in that period.

Since their last European triumph, Wednesday night’s Champions League opponents Bayern Munich – who signed Kane for £100m – have won it twice and also accumulated 11 Bundesliga titles.

The Bavarians also managed to assert their dominance in Europe with 16 round of 16 victories – something United failed to do with just two of theirs, and even failed to qualify for four of the nine editions previous ones.

The match in southern Germany will certainly provide a stark contrast between the caliber of club United were not so long ago and how far they have come.