Patrice Evra Urges Manchester United to Sign Victor Osimhen
Patrice Evra has urged Manchester United to throw their financial weight behind a move for Victor Osimhen, insisting the Galatasaray striker is exactly the kind of ruthless No.9 Michael Carrick’s squad is crying out for.
The Nigerian has been on United’s radar before, his name circling Old Trafford recruitment meetings as his numbers kept climbing. He fired Napoli to the Serie A title and left Italy with 76 goals across four seasons. In Turkey, he has barely slowed down – 59 goals in 74 games for Galatasaray underline a forward who lives in the penalty area and rarely wastes an invitation.
Osimhen is locked into a long-term deal in Istanbul until 2029, a contract designed to scare away half-hearted bidders. Anyone serious will have to come armed with a huge offer and a clear plan. Evra’s view? United should not blink.
“With Benjamin Sesko the only out-and-out No.9 in Michael Carrick’s squad, the gap is obvious,” Evra told GOAL, speaking in association with Stake. “A striker, someone who scores a goal. I think that's what I'm looking at. That's why for me, Osimhen is the best. He’s a perfect example.”
Evra’s argument is simple: United have enough creativity and promise in the final third, but not enough cold-blooded finishing. He namechecked Andrey Santos, Bruno Fernandes, Patrick Dorgu, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo as reasons for optimism going forward, even as Casemiro’s departure leaves a hole in midfield.
“We’re going to miss Casemiro, but I believe in Santos and what I saw in pre-season, he can do something good over there. And Bruno, he’s still Bruno,” Evra said. “Dorgu and Mbeumo are playing, we’ve got Amad Diallo. So we have got something offensively.”
The concerns, in his eyes, sit behind them.
Evra calls for defensive surgery
Evra did not spare the back line in his assessment. He believes United still need a proper reshaping in defence if they are to match any ambition shown in the market for a marquee striker.
“Defensively, they may need to find a good alternative left-back. Maybe another centre-back,” he said. “Harry Maguire, for me, is doing his job and you know, he’s criticised a lot, but he shows you the resilience. I think maybe we need to find a good right-back, a good attacking and defensive right-back.”
Maguire, so often a lightning rod, received rare public backing. Evra pointed to the centre-back’s ability to absorb criticism and keep playing as a trait United still need. But that endorsement did not mask his broader message: the defensive unit remains incomplete.
Rashford’s reset
While United scan the market for new blood, one familiar face is being talked about as if he were a fresh signing. Marcus Rashford, on the club’s books since the age of seven, is being eased back into the core of the squad after loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona.
At 28, with 426 appearances and 138 goals for United, Rashford had explored a permanent move away. That door has closed for now, and Evra senses an opportunity for a reset in Manchester.
The former left-back, a Premier League and Champions League winner at Old Trafford, believes the relationship between Rashford and the fanbase can still be repaired – but only if the forward embraces a new reality.
“I think United fans, they forgive. They forgive,” Evra said. “But after, you know, there's all the pressure on social media and stuff like that, I think Matheus Cunha is doing very well.
“It's up to Marcus to accept that maybe he’s not the first choice. I'm not the first choice, but I'm going to prove to you guys that when I'm going to be on that pitch, I will bleed and die for Man United.
“So he just needs to be honest with himself. But the fans forgive. Some of them, yes, on social media, they're going to make some noise, but the real United fans, they really want Marcus Rashford to succeed at United.”
That is the challenge laid down. For the club, the decision is whether to go all-in on Osimhen and reshape the spine of Carrick’s side. For Rashford, it is whether he can accept a different role and fight his way back.
United’s next moves will reveal just how ruthless – and how ambitious – this new era really is.
