"If you spend 100m on a player, you don't want to lose him for Afcon. 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."
"McCarthy felt that Osimhen would be a great asset under Ten Hag, and that the striker would have been able to handle the pressure associated with playing for United, but the scheduling conflict with the Africa Cup of Nations ultimately prevented the transfer from materializing."
Manchester United declined to pursue Victor Osimhen despite considering him an ideal fit for the club. Former first-team coach Benni McCarthy revealed that the biennial Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which interrupts the European season, was the decisive factor in the decision. McCarthy explained that investing £100 million in a player only to lose him for significant matches during Afcon was untenable for the club's strategy. Osimhen had been at the top of United's target list after scoring 26 league goals for Napoli in 2022-23. Instead, United signed Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta for £72 million. Osimhen eventually joined Galatasaray on loan before securing a permanent transfer to the Turkish club.
#manchester-united-transfer-strategy #africa-cup-of-nations-scheduling #victor-osimhen #european-football-recruitment #tournament-calendar-conflicts
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