Man Utd urged to beat Arsenal, Newcastle to sign ‘rangy’ £133m star after ‘surprising’ development | OneFootball

Man Utd have been advised that they should go all-out to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen ahead of rivals Arsenal and Newcastle in the summer.

The Red Devils moved pretty quickly to sign a short-term replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo this month. This was needed as the 37-year-old’s exit left them with just Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial as options up front.

After being linked with several attackers around Europe, they ended up signing Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley following his brief but fruitful spell with Besiktas.

United were unwilling to spend big on a new forward in January after they spent over £200m on new recruits in the summer. This is amid the ongoing process of the Glazer family looking to sell the club.

Despite this, they are expected to splash out on a new striker later this year. Osimhen and Harry Kane have both been mentioned as potential targets.

A recent report claimed that United ‘favour’ Osimhen over Kane as the Napoli standout is a ‘faster forward’.

Osimhen has consistently been linked with a move to the Premier League over the past couple of years. He has grabbed 13 goals and four assists in 18 outings for Serie A leaders Napoli this season.

Arsenal and Newcastle are also said to be admirers of him and he is valued at around £133m.

Ex-Red Devils attacker Andy Cole thinks it was a “surprise” that his former club brought in Weghorst on loan.

He has also identified Osimhen as the “long-term natural fit” for Ten Hag.

“I think like everybody else, I was a bit surprised,” Cole told Betfair.

“He had a very good World Cup, scoring a couple of goals against Argentina, and he’s done well at Besiktas, but it’s come from nowhere.

“I think the interesting thing is what the manager is looking for because Weghorst is 6’6, which is different to the usual profile of United strikers.

“If you think back to Ruud van Nistelrooy, myself, we were off-the-shoulder strikers. Martial has been the same more recently.

“It’s interesting that they’ve brought in somebody like this now because I’d thought he’d want a different profile in the summer.

“You want to be getting crosses into Weghorst, rather than getting him away in behind.

“I think Victor Osimhen at Napoli is very good and could be the long-term natural fit. The question is whether Napoli would be prepared to let him go.

“He’s rangy, got a good first touch, scores goals and is a decent size as well. I watched him play against Liverpool and he was more than prepared to link the play and then run in behind.”

On Rashford, Cole added: “Confidence. The more goals you score, the better you become.

“Obviously whatever he did in pre-season is benefitting him now. The manager sat him down, gave him some belief and is getting his rewards.

“Football is all about confidence. People can say it’s about anything else but if you’re not sure about yourself and your ability you can’t perform.”

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