Manchester United ruled out signing Victor Osimhen because of AFCON – Benni McCarthy

From ghanasoccernet.com

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...