Tottenham striker Harry Kane “must be sick” of seeing Erling Haaland regularly break goal records at Manchester City, according to Rio Ferdinand.
Haaland, who joined from Borussia Dortmund in June, made it 20 goals in just 13 appearances for City with his strike against Southampton on Saturday.
The Norway international has scored 15 of those goals in the Premier League, which is seven more than next-best Kane, who has himself made a fast start to the season.
However, it would have been Kane leading the line for City had Pep Guardiola’s side been able to reach an agreement with Tottenham for his services last year.
City instead held out for 12 months to sign Haaland from Dortmund, and Ferdinand says the 22-year-old’s form must be galling for Kane.
“If I were City before Haaland came, I would have taken Kane,” Ferdinand said on the FIVE podcast on his YouTube channel.
“Kane’s a goalscorer, he’s a killer, as cold as you get. In any era he scores goals. I think he would have been brilliant at Man City.
“If I’m him, I’m absolutely puking up in my own mouth and trying not to swallow it when I’m watching Haaland now. I’m thinking that could have been me.”
Haaland’s 15 goals is four more than any other player after nine matches in Premier League’s history, followed by Mick Quinn (11 with Coventry City in the 1992-93 season).
He is scoring at a rate of one goal every 50 minutes – again a competition record among those to have scored at least 10 times.
City great Sergio Aguero is next on the list with a goal every 108 minutes, while Kane’s 191 goals in 291 appearances (127 mins per goal) places him a respectable fifth.
Guardiola suggested in February that City made four separate attempts to sign Kane, but they were unable to meet Tottenham’s reported £150million asking price.
“That was a moment for Harry Kane to go and say ‘what I’ve done at Tottenham can never be discredited, it’s my home, it’s my place of love’,” Ferdinand said.
“No one would have been disgruntled if he went to City. It was there for the taking. I don’t know how it happened from all parties. He must be sick.
“If I’m Kane I’m sitting there going wild. I know he could end up with a trophy this year.
“But sitting watching he’ll be like ‘look at what City are doing right now and Haaland is just eating people. I could have been the guy on the end of all those chances’.”