Victor Osimhen: Former Coach Discloses Why Manchester United Didn’t Sign Nigerian Striker
- South African football legend Benni McCarthy has disclosed why Manchester United did not sign Victor Osimhen
- The Red Devils were one of the top European clubs interested in the Super Eagles forward in the summer of 2023
- United signed Rasmus Hojlund instead, but the transfer failed to work out as expected for both the club and player
Former Manchester United first-team coach Benni McCarthy has disclosed one of the major reasons the club did not sign Victor Osimhen in 2023.
Osimhen was on the radar of most top clubs in the summer of 2024, a year after leading Napoli to the Italian Serie A title under head coach Luciano Spalletti.
Source: Getty Images
Napoli was tightfisted, and despite interest from Chelsea, Manchester United, Juventus and Saudi Arabian clubs, Aurelio de Laurentiis refused to sell.
Chelsea was in negotiations until the European transfer deadline day, but the deal failed after Osimhen rejected a low salary offer from the Blues.
The Nigerian forward moved to Galatasaray on loan, with a view to leaving in January, but he spent the entire season and won the Turkish Super League title, scoring 37 goals and providing eight assists, as noted by Transfermarkt.
Galatasaray, encouraged by his performances, pushed for his permanent signing and was successful after a long negotiation with Napoli for a €75 million deal.
The transfer rumours linking Osimhen to other clubs have not gone away despite signing for Galatasaray permanently, with Spanish clubs leading the interest.
Why Man Utd didn't sign Osimhen
South African football legend Benni McCarthy, who was an assistant coach at Manchester United from July 2022 to June 2024, has explained why the club turned down Osimhen.
McCarthy claimed that the Super Eagles forward was top of the Red Devils’ list, but AFCON, which falls in the middle of the season, was part of why the club moved on.
“If you spend £100m on a player, you don't want to lose him for AFCON. I think he would have been very successful there. But it [AFCON] was a big stumbling block,” McCarthy told BBC Sport.
“Losing him for so many important matches, the team suffers from 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.”
Source: Getty Images
The Red Devils signed Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund for £72 million that summer, but the transfer did not live up to expectations at Old Trafford.
Hojlund left the club in 2025 and moved to Italy with Napoli, technically becoming Osimhen’s replacement at the club after the Nigerian left permanently.
Abdullah Kavukcu discloses Osimhen's value
Legit.ng reported that Galatasaray’s vice-president, Abdullah Kavukcu, disclosed Osimhen's value months after signing for the club permanently.
Kavukcu reiterated that Galatasaray is not open to selling their prized asset Osimhen, and added that his value has doubled from the €75 million they paid to sign him from Napoli.
Source: Legit.ng
