Victor Osimhen: The Striker Manchester United Needs
Victor Osimhen’s name will not go away at Manchester United. It keeps circling back, season after season, and with good reason.
The Nigerian striker has carved a ruthless path through Europe. Wolfsburg gave him his first shot on the continent, but it was a loan spell at Charleroi in Belgium where he truly announced himself, bullying defences and turning raw potential into end product. From there, Lille became the launchpad. One explosive 2019-20 campaign in France was enough to earn a high-profile move to Napoli and a bigger stage.
Italy brought the validation. Osimhen didn’t just adapt to Serie A, he tore through it. Across the 2022-23 season, he struck 31 times in all competitions and drove Napoli to a long-awaited Scudetto, ending a 33-year title drought and elevating his reputation into the elite bracket. Premier League scouts were not just watching. They were circling.
United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea – all have been linked, all have weighed up the numbers and the fit. None pulled the trigger. While England debated, Osimhen moved again, this time to Turkey, where he now leads the line for Galatasaray. The goals have followed him. Sixty-five in 78 appearances: a staggering return that underlines why the conversation around him refuses to die down.
At 27, he looks built for the Premier League. Pace that stretches backlines. Power that shrugs off centre-halves. A penalty-box instinct that turns half-chances into headlines. When that profile was put to Andy Cole, a man who knows Old Trafford’s No.9 burden better than most, the 1999 Treble winner did not hesitate.
“He does. He scores goals,” Cole told GOAL, speaking in association with Unibet. “He scored goals in Italy and he's scoring goals in Turkey as well.”
Cole did not dress it up as a simple transfer fantasy. He pointed to the complexity behind any major move.
“There’s many different factors in signing a player from a respective country. It's not all about just the salary or the transfer fee. There could be many different things that go on,” he said. “If he does come to the Premier League, which I think he will be very good in the Premier League, you never know who he'll go to.”
That last line lingers. United are not alone in admiring him, but they are the club most loudly urged to act.
Former captain Patrice Evra has already nailed his colours to the mast. Asked by GOAL what United need most at Old Trafford, he did not talk about systems or philosophies. He went straight to the point.
“A striker, someone who scores a goal. I think that's what I'm looking at,” Evra said. “That's why for me, Osimhen is the best. He’s a perfect example.”
Evra’s assessment is echoed by another ex-United forward who understands the demands of the shirt. Louis Saha, once a key part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s attack, sees not just a finisher, but a character tailor-made for the club’s current state.
“I really like Victor Osimhen. He's definitely got the character, he's got the quality,” the former France international said. “He’s also got good European pedigree: he was a success in France, he was a champion in Italy with Napoli and he’s gone to Turkey with Galatasaray and been brilliant, a move that he probably didn't want, let's be honest.”
Saha’s focus goes beyond the numbers, even though they are impressive enough. For him, Osimhen’s journey – and the way he has handled pressure at every step – is exactly what United are missing.
“He’s scored goals at every level. He’s got Champions League experience, and further more, he’s got the type of personality and charisma that this United squad could really benefit from.
“I think he would be a transformational signing for Manchester United,” Saha continued. “If you think about the pressure that he was under at Napoli, firing the club to its first title in 33 years, then he’s the perfect man to lead the line for Manchester United. I think he would have a huge impact at United. I would love to see the club hierarchy move for him, I think he is exactly what we need.”
From Charleroi to Lille, from Naples to Istanbul, Osimhen has answered every challenge with goals. The question now hangs over Old Trafford: will United finally turn all this admiration into action, or watch yet another ready-made No.9 light up someone else’s stage?
