Benni McCarthy has revealed that Manchester United decided against signing Victor Osimhen in 2023 primarily because the Africa Cup of Nations would have deprived them of the Nigerian striker during a crucial period of the season.
The former Manchester United assistant coach, now head coach of Kenya’s national team, opened up about the decision-making process during his time at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag. Speaking to the BBC, McCarthy explained that the prospect of paying a nine-figure fee for Osimhen only to lose him midway through the campaign proved to be a major deterrent.
“If you spend £100m on a player, you don’t want to lose him for AFCON,” McCarthy said. “I think he would have been very successful there, but it was a big stumbling block. Losing him for so many important matches, the team suffers from not having the main striker there.”
At the time, Osimhen was coming off a spectacular season with Napoli, having fired the Italian side to their first Serie A title in 33 years while scoring 26 league goals. His stock had never been higher.
But United ultimately walked away.
“Literally, a big part was because of the AFCON, and Victor Osimhen’s name got scratched off â not a player of interest because of that,” McCarthy added.
Instead, Manchester United signed Danish striker Rasmus Højlund, investing in a younger forward who would not face the same international tournament interruptions.
Osimhen eventually joined Galatasaray midway through the 2024-25 campaign and has continued to deliver. He scored a crucial goal to help the Turkish giants qualify for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 while adding an AFCON silver and bronze medal to his collection with Nigeria.
For United, the decision remains one of football’s great “what ifs”âa £100m striker scratched off the list because of timing, travel, and tournament football.
