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Former striker and coach Benni McCarthy has explained how Manchester United ultimately stepped away from signing Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen, even though the club rated him highly, Footynaija reports.
Osimhen became one of Europe’s most sought-after strikers after firing Napoli to their historic Serie A title in 2023 with 26 league goals. During that period, McCarthy was working under manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford and was closely involved in discussions around recruiting a new centre-forward.
According to McCarthy, the Super Eagles striker was initially viewed as an ideal fit for United’s attacking system. However, concerns over the timing of the Africa Cup of Nations changed the club’s thinking. The tournament regularly takes place during the European season, meaning key African players can miss several weeks of domestic competition.
“If you spend £100m on a player, you don’t want to lose him for Afcon,” McCarthy told Newsday on the BBC World Service.
“I think he would have been very successful there. But it [Afcon] was a big stumbling block.
“Losing him for so many important matches, the team suffers not having the main striker there.
“So the decision was made. Literally [a] big part was because of the Afcon and Victor Osimhen’s name got scratched off – not a player of interest because of that.”
United instead signed Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta in 2023, while Osimhen’s career has taken a different path. After leaving Italy, he impressed at Galatasaray, reigniting interest from Europe’s elite including Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid.
Now thriving again in European competition, the striker many believed destined for Old Trafford remains one of football’s most valuable forwards.
