Ferdinand urges Man Utd to chase Osimhen rather than Gyokeres

Manchester United should pursue signing Victor Osimhen over Viktor Gyokeres, says Rio Ferdinand.

The former United and England defender has urged Ruben Amorim to look at bringing in the Galatasaray forward to solve his attacking woes.

Amorim has links to Gyokeres, however, having worked with the striker during his time at Sporting CP, who he left midway through the 2024-25 campaign for his move to Old Trafford

Matheus Cunha has already arrived from Wolves, though Ferdinand says United’s preference for another striker should lean towards Osimhen.

“I think Gyokeres, everyone’s talking about him,” Ferdinand told Mirror Sport. “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.

“And 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.”

Gyokeres scored 39 goals in 33 league appearances for Sporting last campaign, compared to Osimhen’s 26 strikes in 30 outings for Turkish giants Galatasaray.

The Swedish striker also converted 28% of his shots, compared to Osimhen’s 18.8% rate, suggesting Gyokeres is the more deadly option in front of goal.

In terms of big chances, which Opta defines as a situation where players should reasonably score, Gyokeres’ 57.4% conversion rate was also ahead of Osimhen’s 46.9%.

That pair are some way clear of current United striker Rasmus Hojlund, who scored just four goals in 32 Premier League appearances last season.

Hojlund managed a shot conversion rate of just 12.5% and missed six of his nine big chances, at a 33% ratio in that aspect.

“[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,” Ferdinand added.

“But I think it’s been evident that Hojlund came in for huge money and hasn’t hit the ground running, has struggled really. [Joshua] Zirkzee hasn’t done much better than him, really.

“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, I can pin my hat on him, I can rely on him.

“And I think Hojlund’s lack of experience has been a big factor. So, a striker, I don’t want any striker.

“I think a striker with experience, knows his right way around the football field, who the young ones they’ve invested in, like Hojlund and Zirkzee and Chido [Obi] can learn from.”