Rashford excelled against Tottenham but failed to score 

After Manchester United's overwhelming victory on Wednesday night, not even the image of a displeased Cristiano Ronaldo storming down the tunnel could bring a gloomy feeling to Old Trafford.

Manchester United put up their best performance under Erik ten Hag against Tottenham, which was their most comprehensive showing during his tenure as manager. They showed just how dangerous they may become in the years to come by delivering their best performance since he took over.

Despite this, it is very evident that the performance in question was not flawless. In an other game or on a different day, Manchester United might have scored four or more goals against Antonio Conte's team, but unfortunately they had to settle for only two victories.

Francis Uzoho was the one who stopped the attack by the United States a week ago. This time, a motivated Hugo Lloris put on a superb single performance, which caused the forwards a lot of problems.

Under the leadership of Ten Hag, United are still very much a work in progress, but they are beginning to show glimpses of great promise. There is a distinct personality that is starting to take shape, and they are beginning to control matches rather than relying on moments to dictate the outcomes of matches.

Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that they were clearly the superior team that evening, there was still a ravenous need for more goals by the time the game was over, as well as a nagging thought that perhaps there should have been more.

Marcus Rashford took over as the leader of the attacking line because Anthony Martial was unable to play due to an injury. Although he was able to cause issues with his astute reading of the game, he did not improve his play in front of the net and squandered a number of opportunities that were presented to him.

Rashford blasted his shots as hard as he could, giving Lloris a chance to save them as long as he dove in the appropriate direction. He did not take the time to pick his spots in the corners of the goal as meticulously as he may have otherwise.

United is still overly dependent on Martial, which has already cost them many times this season. This is especially problematic given that Ronaldo appears to be on his way out of the team and Rashford is still a significantly better option from the left wing.

The signing of a long-term central striking option is still on the agenda for the summer after next year. The fact that it ought to be Harry Kane is the proverbial elephant in the room.

At Old Trafford, he stood by helplessly as his players struggled to deal with the persistent pressure that United was applying. Every time they were successful in regaining possession of the ball, their adversaries pursued them relentlessly and pressured them into making errors out of an intense need to get the ball back. It seemed as if their very survival depended on it.

This was a revealing evening for sure. One that brought up the same old worries about Tottenham and how this club would ever be able to make the leap into real Premier League title rivals, and one that signaled United's ambitious objectives under Ten Hag, and one that brought up United's lofty ambitions under Ten Hag.

At the age of 29, Kane must be having serious doubts about his long-term future at Spurs and whether or not he will actually ever fulfill his ambitions at a club with a track record for unfulfilled potential. Kane may also be wondering whether or not he will actually ever play at the level of his ability at Spurs.

Although there is exuberant delight from some areas at the progress they are presently making under the tutelage of their new manager, those same concerns can surely be attributed to United throughout the course of the past 10 years as well. [Case in point:]

It is still way too early to talk about Ten Hag's club as possible contenders for the Premier League title. However, if they were to be able to bring in a striker of world-class caliber, then those debates could start up again.

Furthermore, it is possible that United is the only step that makes sense for Kane to take next.

City has a long-term solution to their prior striker troubles in the form of Erling Haaland, while Liverpool has also invested extensively in that area with the purchase of Darwin Nunez. Both teams have new strikers who will be contributing to their teams in the near future. As Tottenham's rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea appear to be out of the running when it comes to possible next destinations for Kane. This leaves United and Newcastle as the only two English clubs that may actually be able to pull off such a deal, as they are the only two that are actually capable of doing so.

Even on the continent, there are not many possibilities that are readily apparent. Both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid might consider making an offer to sign him, but given the amount of money that would be required to pry him away from North London, they might be more inclined to make an offer on a longer-term contract first.

They would also provide Kane with a platform to chase Alan Shearer's record as the all-time top scorer in the Premier League. It is possible that United is the only club wealthy enough, and perhaps desperate enough, to give in to Tottenham's demands. If this is the case, then United is the only club that has a chance of doing so.

United are desperate for a striker of Kane's caliber, and Kane himself may be desperate for a club that can finally live up to the lofty expectations he has set for himself as a player.