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Manchester United are on the hunt for a striker and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen remains at the top of the club’s list.
The Athletic’s Ahmed Walid has analyzed why the Nigerian is in such high demand, and it’s easy to see how the player would fit into Erik ten Hag’s system.
Osimhen has already scored 19 Serie A goals this season and looked set to become the first African player to win the coveted Capocannoniere, awarded to Serie A’s top scorer.
And looking back over his goals, Walid considers Osimhen’s runs behind defenses alongside the blind side of the centre-half his ‘trademark’.
With the success of Marcus Rashford this season, United are aware of the benefits of having attackers play over the shoulder. Ten Hag, throughout his coaching career, has always favored an attacking approach that involves flooding the opposition box with numbers.
That’s why Rashford and Osimhen could combine to great effect for the Red Devils, with their midfield’s excellent passing range creating chances against disorganized defences. But fans will also remember United’s struggles against deeper defenses under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Running from behind requires space from behind.
Part of Rashford’s success this season stems from improved ball retention in tight areas, giving him the ability to create chances even with minimal space.
Fortunately, Osimhen is also effective against the high lines, as the striker possesses a predatory instinct in the penalty area that makes him excellent at taking advantage of crosses. That would make him quite unique in the Man United squad, as none of the attackers available to Ten Hag are particularly good in the air.
Standing at 185cm tall and with an impressive jump, he has the beating of most Serie A centre-backs. He is also a born goalscorer who, to borrow a phrase from Solskjaer, “would break his nose to score a goal”. .
A big part of Osimhen’s game is his positioning. He is constantly working hard to get past defenders and into areas where he can’t be seen. He’s already mentioned blindside running in regards to running him past defensive lines, but he does it in the box as well.
The Serie A sharpshooter regularly adjusts his runs to position himself at the far post where he can blend in until the decisive moment.
Those factors make him great at generating opportunities, but Osimhen is also fantastic at converting them. He has shown an ability to finish off incredibly tight angles, while regularly managing to get his headers into the corners of the net.
Aside from the goals he would undoubtedly bring in, his tactical awareness and physical profile would be of great benefit to United. Napoli regularly uses Osimhen as an outlet and he is a valuable weapon when it comes to beating the press with a through ball.
All in all, it’s easy to see why Manchester United would want Victor Osimhen, and with him leading the line next season, the Red Devils could be poised for a lot of success.
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