United will pounce if Spurs wobble: Aldridge
Ex-Reds striker believes Red Devils can 'easily get into the top four'
Manchester United will be the prime beneficiaries if Tottenham Hotspur struggle to cope with the loss of talismanic striker Harry Kane to injury, according to former Liverpool striker John Aldridge.
The Red Devils have already dealt a blow to Spurs' bid to stay in touch with English Premier League pacesetters Liverpool and Manchester City with a 1-0 away win at Wembley last Sunday.
| MAN UNITED | BRIGHTON |
The result opened the gap between Mauricio Pochettino's men and league leaders Liverpool to nine points while cutting the gap to sixth-placed United to seven points.
Chelsea and Arsenal separate the two sides in fourth and fifth place respectively, but both have wobbled recently while United have embarked on a six-match winning run under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Norwegian will look to extend that run when his side take on Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford tomorrow night.
"We all said for a long time that (former United manager) Mourinho was holding back this United squad and everything we have seen from them since Solskjaer came in has confirmed that," Aldridge told the Irish Independent.
"United have some great attacking players in their squad and Mourinho had destroyed their confidence with his negative tactics.
"Now we are seeing how good Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial can be and it has not taken too many changes for Solskjaer to transform the mood.
"That's why I think they could easily get into the top four in the Premier League now, especially after the events of last Sunday.
"If Tottenham had taken their chances at United at Wembley and not given David de Gea a chance to save the dozen clear-cut chances they created in the second half, they would be 13 points ahead of United now.
"Instead, that gap is down to just seven and with Harry Kane out for a couple of months at least. I fear for them.
"They could be out of every major competition by the time Kane comes back and United will be the team benefiting if they collapse now."
Aldridge's former Ireland teammate Tony Cascarino also believes United could be the beneficiary of Kane's injury - in terms of their reported pursuit of Pochettino.
He told talkSPORT: "Harry is a huge loss, this is a big blow to Tottenham and I think it's the final nail in the coffin of them having any chance of competing for the Premier League title.
"But thinking of the bigger picture, it might be another reason why Pochettino may go.
"If he thinks he can't have a fully fit Harry Kane every season and can't get a replacement in who is going to do a similar job - that's what they haven't got."
In addition to missing the services of Kane until early March due to ankle-ligament damage sustained against United, Spurs have also bid farewell to midfielder Mousa Dembele, who yesterday joined Chinese side Guangzhou R&F for £11 million (S$19.2m).
Pochettino, however, said that Kane's injury will not change the club's plans in the January transfer window.
He said: "It didn't change our mind, I think it's a very good opportunity for players to play more, to step up. It's going to be a good opportunity for young players to show their quality."
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