Victor Osimhen has long been one of the most sought-after strikers in world football and Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United are among those interested in his services this summer. The Nigerian sharpshooter’s brother, however, recently suggested that he snubbed a move to Old Trafford in 2020.
Osimhen, 26, is a reliable source of goals – and given that Amorim’s side have struggled to find the back of the net since he moved from Sporting CP in November 2024, the Napoli marksman could be the perfect addition this summer.
The clamour is as fresh as ever – but the Red Devils have always been keen admirers of the Lagos-born star and that dates back to 2020, before he moved from Lille OSC to Napoli, when he was offered a move to Manchester. But why did he turn down the chance?
Why Osimhen Snubbed Old Trafford Move in 2020
‘It is very true that Manchester United wanted Victor’
It was Osimhen’s goal-getting stint in France with Lille that put his name on the map. Between August 2019 and September 2020, the centre-forward scored 18 goals in 38 matches and impressed with his back-to-goal play and ability to run the channels.
Despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United being involved in the race, Napoli won the tug-of-war for his signature. Given the size and stature of the Premier League outfit, some were surprised that they lost out on the certified marksman.
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And Osimhen’s brother, Andrew, spoke to Complete Sports (per The Mirror) to suggest he refused a move to the 13-time Premier League champions as he had ‘too much respect’ for his compatriot Odion Ighalo – and, as such, the Nigerian didn’t want to compete for the solitary centre-forward berth.
“It is very true that Manchester United wanted Victor, but he told me something like he had too much respect for Odion Ighalo to be competing for shirts with his senior colleague. My brother holds Ighalo in high esteem and he just didn’t see himself going to Old Trafford to battle for a striking role with the highest goalscorer at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.”
Eyebrows were raised when Solskjaer signed Ighalo on a temporary basis in January. Off to a bright start in Manchester, the 37-cap, 16-goal Nigerian finished with just five goals in 23 games, and Osimhen – widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football – holds him in high regard.
Ighalo being on Manchester United’s books motivated Osimhen’s move to Italy – but fast-forward half a decade and the latter could be Old Trafford-bound. Rio Ferdinand is among those in favour of the potential move, especially over Viktor Gyokeres.
“I think Gyokeres, everyone’s talking about him. Again, I think if I’m looking at the market now and I had to pick him or Osimhen, I’d probably pick Osimhen because of that experience.”
Ferdinand continued: “And he's shown he's done it in multiple leagues now. And he's done it internationally as well. I think he's a top-class number nine who, again, the young players will be able to learn from. I'm not saying that Gyokeres would fail. I'm just saying that if I had a preference, I would go there."