Manchester United must go out and sign an authentic superstar striker and they should look no further than Victor Osimhen.
The Red Devils have prioritised the signing of a striker this summer and with good reason.
The vacancy
Rasmus Hojlund finally broke his 21 match drought on Sunday against Leicester City but he has shown time and time again that he is not yet ready to lead the line for United.
Furthermore, Chido Obi looks a very exciting talent and will surely get more chances this season but if United are to seriously progress next season, they need a forward to come in and take the pressure off of these two younger players.
In addition, Joshua Zirkzee has excelled recently in one of the number 10 positions behind the striker, so it seems the club have lost a bit of depth in the striking department.
To attract the player and most likely to afford him, Champions League football is almost certainly required. That is an impossible feat in the league this year but with United making it to the quarter-final of the Europa League, the dream stills flickers.
The biggest reason why Osimhen should be pursued is United need the fear factor to return. The Red Devils have big ambitions with the recent announcement of the club intending to build an imposing 100,000 seater stadium in just five years.
The club has always historically been all about scoring goals and they have lost this reputation over the last few years.
In recent years Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robin van Persie were strikers who struck fear into the opposition. Even during the more recent, less successful era, Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave United that presence up front.
Maybe one day Obi will get there but Osimhen would bring a strong reputation as one of the most-feared goal-getters in modern football.
The perfect fit
Osimhen would also be an excellent fit in terms of experience. As previously mentioned, Hojlund at 22 and Obi at 17 are far from the finished product. Osimhen on the other hand is 25 and is the perfect blend of experience but with his best years still ahead of him.
The team will lose even more experience in the summer window and they will likely target younger players for numerous positions, so at least the number nine role should add experience to a rather raw group of attackers of Amad, Patrick Dorgu, Zirkzee, Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.
What’s more, Osimhen suits Ruben Amorim’s needs for a striker in a 3-4-3 as he is a pure, athletic goalscorer.
He has hit double figures in the last seven consecutive seasons and his biggest success came in 2022-2023 when his 31 goals were vital in firing SSC Napoli to the Serie A title.
The Nigerian is well on course to beat that tally this year as he has already scored 26 goals for Galatasaray in their pursuit of the Turkish Super Lig.
He has been described as “a very athletic, fast and imposing striker that combines lightning fast turn of pace when he gets going in long distances.”
Therefore, he would not only give United a presence in the box but he would also be a threat on the counter in bigger matches.
His former boss at Napoli Luciano Spalletti asserted, “Osimhen is such a great striker. I am stunned by the potential he has and excited to see what he’ll do in future. He has the pace, the skill, the courage and physicality to deal with any situation.”
Creative players like Bruno Fernandes and Amad would very much enjoy having a predatory striker whose only ambition is to find the back of the net.
Finally, the player appears to be open to the move. He is certainly leaving Napoli this summer and he is only on loan in Turkiye. There have been reports that he is keen on the Premier League and would be open to a move to Old Trafford.
Not many defences would relish the thought of Osimhen, Amad, Fernandes and Garnacho bearing down on their penalty box as United strive to get back to what they once were under Amorim.
Featured image Ahmad Mora via Getty Images
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Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
