The timing of the Africa Cup of Nations was a decisive factor in why Manchester United did not pursue a move for Victor Osimhen, according to the club’s former first-team coach, Benni McCarthy.
Osimhen had attracted strong interest from Europe’s top clubs after scoring 26 league goals in the 2022-23 season to help Napoli win their first Serie A title in 33 years.
McCarthy, part of the coaching staff under then-manager Erik ten Hag, said he was involved in discussions over striker recruitment and believed Osimhen would “fit perfect” at United.
However, the biennial Africa Cup of Nations, often staged during the European season, led the club to reconsider. Despite Osimhen being “at the top of the list”, United ultimately shifted their focus elsewhere.
“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.”
Manchester United instead signed Rasmus Højlund from Atalanta for £72m in August 2023. The Denmark international scored 26 goals in 95 appearances before joining Napoli on loan in September 2024.
Osimhen, meanwhile, was crowned African Footballer of the Year in 2023. He later moved to Galatasaray on loan in September 2024 and completed a permanent transfer last July.
