Evra’s Call: Manchester United Must Pursue Victor Osimhen
Patrice Evra has nailed his colours to the mast. For him, if Manchester United are serious about fixing their attack, there is one name that should sit at the very top of their list: Victor Osimhen.
Evra’s call: Go all in for Osimhen
Osimhen has hovered around United’s radar before, his numbers impossible to ignore. He fired Napoli to a Serie A title and left Italy with 76 goals across four seasons, a ruthless presence in the final third who turned half-chances into headlines.
The standards haven’t dipped in Turkey. At Galatasaray, the Nigerian has plundered 59 goals in 74 appearances, a strike rate that screams elite. He is locked into a contract in Istanbul until 2029, a detail that instantly drives up the price and the level of commitment required from any suitor.
Evra’s view? Pay it.
With Benjamin Sesko the only orthodox No.9 in Michael Carrick’s squad, the former United left-back believes the club cannot afford to hesitate.
“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 told GOAL, speaking in association with Stake.
United’s recruitment puzzle is complex, but for Evra the first piece is obvious: a penalty-box predator with guaranteed goals.
Belief in the midfield – and faith in the kids
Evra does not see a squad in ruins. He sees gaps. He also sees solutions already in the building.
Casemiro will be missed, he admits, but he is bullish about what Andrey Santos showed in pre-season and the role the youngster can play in the middle of the park.
“We're going to miss Casemiro, but I believe in [Andrey] Santos and what I saw in pre-season, he can do something good over there. And Bruno [Fernandes], he’s still Bruno,” Evra said, underlining the Portuguese playmaker’s enduring influence.
He also pointed to the attacking options around them: Patrick Dorgu, Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo. There is pace. There is flair. There is potential.
“So we have got something offensively,” he added, suggesting the platform is there – if United can just find the right finisher to sit on top of it.
Defensive tweaks, not a rebuild
At the back, Evra is not calling for a revolution, but he is clear that refinement is needed.
“Defensively, they may need to find a good alternative left-back. Maybe another centre-back,” he said.
Harry Maguire, a lightning rod for criticism in recent years, earns a firm defence from the former United captain.
“Harry Maguire, for me, is doing his job and you know, he’s criticised a lot, but he shows you the resilience,” Evra argued, pushing back against the narrative that the England defender is a weak link.
The real concern, in his eyes, lies out wide in defence.
“I think maybe we need to find a good right-back, a good attacking and defensive right-back.”
It is a familiar theme for United: the need for full-backs who can both lock down their flank and provide a real outlet going forward.
Rashford’s reset
Amid the talk of signings and systems, one story at Old Trafford feels like a fresh chapter in an old book: Marcus Rashford.
He has been a United player since the age of seven, but after loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, he returns with the odd sensation of feeling like a new signing. At 28, with 426 appearances and 138 goals for the club, he carries the weight of history and expectation.
He also, according to Evra, carries something else: a second chance.
“I think United fans, they forgive. They forgive,” he 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.”
There is a reality Rashford must face. He may not walk straight back in as the automatic first choice.
“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.”
That, for Evra, is the standard. Honesty, fight, and a willingness to scrap for every minute.
“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.”
United’s summer, then, is not just about the next big signing or the size of a bid for Osimhen. It is about whether a proven goalscorer arrives, whether the defence is sharpened – and whether Marcus Rashford is ready to write a new chapter at the club that shaped him.
