Erik ten Hag backed to ditch shock Chelsea, N’Golo Kante raid for Man Utd deal with far greater upside

Erik ten Hag has been told why he should abandon a reported Man Utd move for Chelsea ace N’Golo Kante despite a report claiming a deal is there for the making.

The Mirror recently claimed that Old Trafford could be Kante’s next destination. The French midfielder, 31, will have just one year remaining on his Chelsea contract when the current campaign concludes.

Kante has been everything Chelsea fans could’ve hoped for and more since arriving from Leicester in 2016. However, injuries have begun to take their toll in recent times.

The idea of Chelsea freshening up their midfield has regularly been floated of late. Conor Gallagher may be retained at Stamford Bridge next season, while Monaco destroyer Aurelien Tchouameni remains a target.

Tchouameni was also listed by the Mirror as being on Man Utd’s radar when detailing their interest in Kante.

However, given Kante’s advancing age and contract status, he would represent a far cheaper option when compared to Tchouameni, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice and Frenkie de Jong, for example.

Incoming boss Erik ten Hag must revamp his midfield this summer. Paul Pogba will leave for free and is in talks with Juventus. Nemanja Matic too has seen a parting of the ways sanctioned.

But according to former Premier League striker Noel Whelan, Manchester United will do well to steer clear of Kante.

Whelan acknowledged Kante’s status as one of the modern greats when labelling him “exceptional”. However, he insists Ten Hag should not commence his rebuild at Old Trafford by signing injury-prone players already over 30.

“I’d like to see Man United looking to bring in much younger players,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“I don’t see the point of getting players in who are 31 or 32. They need