Former Manchester United first team coach Benni McCarthy has revealed that the Africa Cup of Nations schedule was a key reason the club decided not to pursue a move for Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen became one of Europe’s most sought after forwards after scoring 26 league goals in the 2022 23 season to help SSC Napoli win their first Serie A title in 33 years. His performances attracted interest from several top clubs, including Manchester United.
McCarthy, who worked under then manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, said he was involved in discussions over striker recruitment and believed Osimhen would have been an ideal fit for the team. According to him, the Nigerian forward was initially at the top of the club’s shortlist.
However, the biennial Africa Cup of Nations, which is often staged in January and February during the European season, raised concerns within the club about losing a key player for several weeks at a crucial stage of the campaign.
“If you spend £100m on a player, you don’t want to lose him for Afcon,” McCarthy told Newsday on the BBC World Service.
“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 not a player of interest because of that.”
United eventually signed Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta BC for £72m in August 2023. The Denmark international scored 26 goals in 95 appearances before joining Napoli on loan last September.
Osimhen, who was named African Footballer of the Year in 2023, later left Napoli to join Galatasaray SK on loan in September 2024 and completed a permanent transfer to the Turkish side last July.
McCarthy maintained that Osimhen would have thrived at United and coped well with the demands and scrutiny that come with playing for the club.
“He scores goals, he works exceptionally hard, and he’s a player [who is] immune to the noise,” McCarthy said.
“Playing for Man Utd won’t have a lot of effect on him because of what the boy has gone through [in] his life. Where he comes from, he’s seen way worse than this.
“Him not scoring for five games in a row won’t affect him. He’ll just keep going on because he knows what struggle is about.”
Despite his admiration for the striker, McCarthy admitted the timing of Afcon ultimately ended United’s interest.
“[It] made me kind of sad as well because, my whole career, I fought to represent my country because I’m African,” he added.
