Victor Osimhen: Benni McCarthy reveals why United snubbed Galatasaray ace

Manchester United’s decision to walk away from Victor Osimhen in 2023 was driven largely by fears of losing the striker to the Africa Cup of Nations, former Old Trafford finishing coach Benni McCarthy has told the BBC World Service.

United had monitored the Nigerian during the 2022-23 season while he plundered 31 goals in 39 games to propel Napoli to their first Serie A title in more than three decades. With Erik ten Hag eager to solve his centre-forward issue, United explored a blockbuster move for the 27-year-old only to pivot toward Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund, who arrived for an initial £72 million.

McCarthy, who spent two seasons at Carrington from summer 2022, said the club’s analytics and medical departments had no qualms about Osimhen’s ability or durability; the sticking point was the tournament calendar.

“If you spend £100 million on a player, you don’t want to lose him for AFCON,” McCarthy explained to Newsday. “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.”

The ex-South Africa international admitted the choice conflicted with his own ethos, adding: “[It] made me kind of sad as well because, my whole career, I fought to represent my country because I’m African.”

United’s subsequent revolving door at No. 9 has done little to silence critics. Hojlund managed just modest returns before being loaned back to Napoli last summer, while the baton has now passed to RB Leipzig import Benjamin Sesko, whose eight goals in 24 matches have offered tentative encouragement.

Osimhen, meanwhile, initially joined Galatasaray on loan in 2024 and made the switch permanent ahead of this campaign. He has since contributed 15 goals and five assists in 23 outings across all competitions, underlining the predatory instincts McCarthy believes would have translated seamlessly to the Premier League.

“He scores goals, he works exceptionally hard, and he’s a player immune to the noise,” McCarthy said. “Playing for Man Utd won’t have a lot of effect on him because of what the boy has gone through [in] his life. Where he comes from, he’s seen way worse than this. Him not scoring for five games in a row won’t affect him. He’ll just keep going on because he knows what struggle is about.”

With Sesko beginning to flourish and Osimhen firmly entrenched in Istanbul, United’s fleeting pursuit of the Nigerian now reads as a sliding-doors moment – one dictated more by calendar congestion than footballing merit.