For three summers in succession, Manchester United have invested heavily in a young, up-and-coming striker. The results, it must be said, have been below par.
Aside from a brief goal glut in January to February 2024, Rasmus Hojlund never looked like being a prolific Premier League striker, while Joshua Zirkzee has become something of a forgotten man at Old Trafford, scoring just five league goals in two seasons.
There have been signs of life from Benjamin Sesko, yet his return of 11 league goals last season was just one more than Hojlund achieved in his own debut campaign, with it hard to shake the comparison between the young duo.
It’s been a long while since United have signed a centre-forward truly in his prime – might that player be Victor Osimhen?
Why Osimhen would be United’s best striker since Van Persie
It’s fair to say the Red Devils have tried it all in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, pivoting to this recent trio of young strikers after going down the experienced route prior to that.
From marquee names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to more short-term, surprise moves for Odion Ighalo and Wout Weghorst, nothing has really worked out for a sustained period in the striking department.
A deal for Romelu Lukaku looked like a no-brainer in 2017, yet the Belgian lasted just two seasons before he was shown the door, while as for Anthony Martial, did he ever really progress from a promising first year in Manchester?
Not since Robin van Persie’s heroics in 2012/13 has any player hit 20 league goals or more in a Premier League season for the club, with the flying Dutchman having propelled Ferguson’s men to the title that year.
Could Osimhen, still only 27, be the man to do just that under Michael Carrick’s watch? It wasn’t too long ago that his 26 Serie A goals led Napoli to the Scudetto in 2022/23, having at that stage been the “best striker in the world“, in the view of agent Andrea D’Amico.
Since leaving Italy behind in 2024, he’s hit 61 goals in just 75 games for Galatasaray, such a consistently clinical presence, even if injury has held him back at times.
Stretching back to his time at Charleroi in 2018/19, he’s reached double figures for league goals in every single season since then, with that a record the likes of Sesko and Zirkzee simply don’t possess.
|
Osimhen – League Record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
|
25/26 – Super Lig |
22 |
15 |
|
24/25 – Super Lig |
29 |
26 |
|
23/24 – Serie A |
25 |
15 |
|
22/23 – Serie A |
32 |
26 |
|
21/22 – Serie A |
27 |
14 |
|
20/21 – Serie A |
24 |
10 |
|
19/20 – Ligue 1 |
27 |
13 |
|
18/19 – Pro League |
34 |
19 |
|
17/18 – Bundesliga |
12 |
0 |
|
16/17 – Bundesliga |
2 |
0 |
The Nigerian would be such a coup for INEOS, but is it a realistic deal, in truth?
How Man Utd could sign an Osimhen-esque striker for £30m
It looks set to be a busy end to the window at Old Trafford, with Brighton and Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba looking set to seal a belated move in the coming days.
The Cameroonian had made it abundantly clear that he still wanted to join the club, even after a deal fell through a year ago, with that agreement over personal terms giving United leverage in their protracted pursuit.
Perhaps it might be a similar story with Osimhen, as Football FanCast exclusively reported that he is open to moving to Old Trafford this summer, with talks having been held with the player’s agents already.
The sticking point is the price tag and potential wage demands, however, something that could potentially put paid to United’s pursuit.
With that in mind, Ben Jacobs – speaking to the United Stand – has again name-checked Igor Matanovic as a potential option, the Freiburg man seemingly open to joining the club too, amid his desire for Premier League action.
“Yeah, I mean a bit more on Matanovic because that’s kind of got relatively widespread reporting now and again was something we discussed on the show last week. He is somewhat in the Zirkzee profile. He’s 6 foot 5. He had an excellent season for Freiburg.
“….Freiburg obviously prefer to keep him. He scored 11 goals in the Bundesliga last campaign, I believe, and 15 in all competitions. And he’s somebody that would be open to move to the Premier League”.
That follows Football FanCast’s own exclusive report that Matanovic was the subject of an enquiry by the Red Devils, with the price point likely to be in the region of £30m, amid rival interest from Juventus.
Now, he’s certainly not of the profile of Osimhen, nor does he boast the same wealth of experience as the Nigerian, more likely to be yet another gamble for INEOS.
One saving grace might be the fact that, as per Football Transfers, the most similar player to him, both stylistically and statistically, is actually Osimhen, a potential nod to what Matanovic could offer in a United shirt.
As Jacobs noted, he’s a proper powerhouse figure at 6 foot 5, mirroring Osimhen as someone who would have no issue leading the line on his own.
Perhaps Carrick already has that figure in Sesko, but Matanovic could offer perfect competition and cover, the Croatian fresh from scoring 11 league goals himself last season.
It’s worth noting too that those 11 goals came from only 14 starts, showcasing what he can offer as an impact man, having boasted a goal conversion rate of 21%.
For comparison, Osimhen enjoyed a similar record of 15 goals from only 19 Super Lig starts in 2025/26, albeit while recording just a 15% goal conversion rate.
Where the pair are particularly alike is in their ability to offer a real physical focal point, with Matanovic winning 4.5 of his total duels per game last season on average, alongside 2.7 of his aerial duels on average.
For comparison, the Galatasaray star is only just behind at 4.3 and 2.3 for those same two metrics, respectively.
The £30m-rated talent certainly isn’t at Osimhen’s level as yet, but perhaps he is on course to get there, with it perhaps becoming clearer as to why the Red Devils are keeping a close eye on him.
Be it with Baleba or Andrey Santos, INEOS aren’t afraid to splash the cash on youth – could Matanovic be another?
