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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Steven Railston

Victor Osimhen might have given Manchester United reason to reconsider their transfer interest

Manchester United have two names at the top of their striker transfer shortlist for the summer: Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen.

It's understood the club are monitoring Kane's situation at Tottenham Hotspur as they decide on a long-term striker target and that Osimhen, who has been one of Europe's most prolific forwards this season, is also under active consideration.

Erik ten Hag desperately needs a centre forward for his rebuild of the club and supporters won't complain if either Kane or Osimhen are signed in the summer, although both players certainly have different strengths and weaknesses as goalscorers.

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Kane has scored 19 goals in all competitions this season and Osimhen has 17 goals, but the latter is an athletic, modern striker, whereas Tottenham's all-time top goalscorer has developed into a clinical, ball-playing centre forward in his later years.

In an ideal world, it would be as simple as picking between Kane and Osimhen and, if that were the case, multiple factors will be considered, such as Kane being proven in the Premier League, despite having the negative of being five years older.

Kane celebrates his 30th birthday in the summer and Osimhen would be the better long-term signing, but the England international is the closest guarantee to goals in the Premier League that you can find, with the exception of Erling Haaland.

Anyone who has watched Osimhen will be aware of his quality. His performances in the Champions League, like his mauling of Liverpool, have been exceptional and he's made light work of scoring in Serie A, but there is one particular area, his questionable injury record, that might temper enthusiasm about the prospect of signing him for a fee in excess of £100million.

That might seem ironic considering Kane has not been a stranger to the treatment table throughout his career, but Osimhen, 24, is five years younger than him and yet he's been injured for a longer period, spending 506 days with injuries to be exact.

Kane has spent 414 days with injuries in comparison. Although Osimhen might be the dream signing for some fans, his injury record needs to be considered, especially when Napoli are set to demand a record Premier League fee for his signature.

To be fair to Osimhen, his injured record would not look as bad without the meniscal injury he sustained as a teenager playing for Wolfsburg, which meant he was sidelined for 178 days, but he has seemed to struggle with his shoulder.

The Nigerian has also missed 32 days and six matches this season with a muscle injury and, while the worst of his injury problems could now be well behind him, of course, that might not be a gamble that United are prepared to take.

Osimhen is currently one of the world's best strikers for a reason, he is exceptional, however, it will take significant investment to prise him away from Napoli in the summer and his injury record could mean there will be a degree of risk attached.

His record with injury has not stopped him from scoring goals and that might be enough to tempt Old Trafford chiefs into a deal, but it's undoubtedly something that needs to be considered, especially when Kane could be the alternative.

United do not need Edinson Cavani 2.0 at the club.

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