Why Victor Osimhen is who Erik ten Hag needs to lead Manchester United’s front line

Guest publication by Ben Dixon.

Manchester United’s firepower requires some much-needed upgrading this summer, with Erik ten Hag zoning in on who he wants to lead the line next season.

Manchester United have heavily relied on talisman Marcus Rashford so far this season, with the 25-year-old winger having the best goalscoring campaign of his career, with 29 goals so far under Erik ten Hag.

Despite Rashford’s love among fans, the Red Devils debatably haven’t had a prominent striker who fans adored and who took the club to the next level for a while.

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It could be argued that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and later Cristiano Ronaldo filled this gap for short periods during the 2016/17 and 2021/22 seasons respectively, however, the latter’s second stint at the club was short-lived and ended sourly.

There are many strikers currently throughout Europe who would love a crack at leading Manchester United’s attacking line next season, but there are only a few who are currently backing their ambition with their performances – and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is one of them.

Osimhan has been on an upwards trajectory since leaving Wolfsburg five years ago, though his potential has been there to see since winning the Under-17 World Cup golden boot in 2015 with Nigeria, which earned him a place in the top 20 on the NXGN Wonderkid list in 2016.

Whilst his time in Germany wasn’t as much of a success, his time in Belgium, France, and now Italy has been clear for all to see, scoring 12 league goals in his only season in Belgium, which resulted in a move to Lille, where he scored 13 in 27 Ligue 1 games, assisting 5 times which again resulted in a move, this time to Naples where in his first season he scored 14 league goals, again with 5 assists.

However, this season the Nigerian has reached new levels, scoring 21 times in 26 league appearances, adding a further five goals in six Champions League games. His goals have come in a huge variety of manners too, from pressing to poaching, the forward seems to possess all the tools.

The 24-year-old excels in and around the box, possessing such a presence in that area, whether that be to get himself in the right position for the original chance or reposition himself into the area in which a rebound will fall to him.

That being said too, the Ligue 1 title winner also is an exceptional presser, scoring multiple goals from dispossessing opponents in or near their box before finishing in his trademark impressive fashion.

The Super Eagles striker is the perfect mix of both worlds and in some respect is very similar to Erik ten Hag’s former Ajax striker Sebastian Haller, in the sense of being able to do aspects of both modern strikers’ games, whether that be running in behind defences and attacking spaces or being deadly inside the box.

It is very much worth noting his incredible partnership with winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, which has set their domestic and European league alight, something which will inevitably be an important factor in the decision to pursue him.

His original move to Naples was believed to cost in the region of around €80 million, so it is highly likely that this deal will probably start somewhere close to or beyond £100 million, if not more given his exponential rise in interest and importance to Napoli.

Osimhen’s dominance as a striker is something that Erik ten Hag has lacked in his squad this season, with none of Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Martial, or Wout Weghorst being able to emulate the Dutch manager’s vision.

Osimhen could be the man to help take United’s attack to the next level as they look to build a squad capable of winning Champions League and Premier League trophies.