Former Manchester United captain, Rio Ferdinand, has revealed the reasons he’d prefer to sign Victor Osimhen over Viktor Gyökeres for Ruben Amorim’s side, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 46-year-old racked up 455 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring eight goals and providing eight assists while winning six English Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League trophy.
Ferdinand has been concerned about the decline of his beloved Manchester United, especially in terms of scoring goals, and has been clamouring for the signature of Victor Osimhen.
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Ruben Amorim’s side have been linked with Jean-Philippe Mateta, Gyokeres and Osimhen, but Ferdinand is beyond convinced that Victor Osimhen will fit his former side.
Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Chido Obi-Martin are United’s options down the middle in attack, and 83-cap Englishman cited the lack of experience in the youthful trio as a key reason for their struggles.
“[Man United need] a centre-forward with experience. That’s it. I think United can go and get a lot of players and get loads of stuff, but I think it’s been evident that Hojlund came in for huge money and hasn’t hit the ground running, has struggled really. Zirkzee hasn’t done much better than him, really,” the former Leeds man said in an interview with Mirror Football.
“So, I think you need someone in all the good teams you see. They normally have at least one of the attacking players, normally the number nine, and you go, actually, yeah, I can pin my hat on him. I can rely on him.
“I think Hojlund’s lack of experience has been a big factor. So, a striker, I don’t want any striker. I think I’ve said it on my podcast many times. I think a striker with experience, who knows his way around the football field, who the young ones they’ve invested in, like Hojlund and Zirkzee and Chido [Obi], can learn from.”
“I think Gyokeres, everyone’s talking about him. Again, I think if I’m looking at the market now and I had to pick him or Osimhen, I’d probably pick Osimhen because of that experience.
“He’s shown he’s done it in multiple leagues now, and he’s done it internationally as well. I think he’s a top-class number nine who, again, the young players will be able to learn from. I’m not saying that Gyokeres would fail. I’m just saying that if I had a preference, I would go there,” the ex-West Ham United defender concluded.
Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres are both proven goal scorers in their own rights. The Napoli loanee scored 37 goals and provided eight assists in 41 appearances for Galatasaray across all competitions.
Additionally, he was pivotal as Okan Buruk’s side swooped to win the domestic Turkish double, winning the league and the league cup.
Gyokeres, on the other hand, was immense for Sporting Lison, scoring 54 goals and providing 13 assists in 52 games across all competitions. The Sweden international also won the domestic double in Portugal and finished as the UEFA Nations League’s highest goal scorer.