20 January 2023 , 12:59
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Manchester United legend Andy Cole has urged his former side to make a move for Napoli star Victor Osimhen in the wake of Wout Weghorst's arrival.
Weghorst has joined the Red Devils on loan for the rest of the season from Burnley, with Erik ten Hag having been keen to boost his attacking options. But United will likely be back in the market for at least one forward in the summer window.
Cole, who won five Premier League titles during six years at Old Trafford, believes he knows the perfect man to fill that role. He has picked out Osimhen, who has scored 12 goals to fire Napoli to the top of the Serie A table.
He believes the Nigerian could be the perfect long-term option up-front for the Red Devils, having been left shocked by the decision to bring in Weghorst to fill in until the end of the campaign.
"I think like everybody else, I was a bit surprised. He had a very good World Cup, scoring a couple of goals against Argentina, and he’s done well at Besiktas, but it’s come from nowhere," Cole told Betway.
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"I think the interesting thing is what the manager is looking for because Weghorst is 6'6", which is different to the usual profile of United strikers. If you think back to Ruud van Nistelrooy, myself, we were off-the-shoulder strikers.
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Andy Cole believes Napoli star Victor Osimhen could be Manchester United's long-term striker (Cesare Purini/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)"[Anthony] Martial has been the same more recently. It’s interesting that they’ve brought in somebody like this now because I’d thought he’d want a different profile in the summer. You want to be getting crosses into Weghorst, rather than getting him away in behind.
"I think Victor Osimhen at Napoli is very good and could be the long-term natural fit. The question is whether Napoli would be prepared to let him go. He’s rangy, got a good first touch, scores goals and is a decent size as well. I watched him play against Liverpool and he was more than prepared to link the play and then run in behind."
Weghorst made his first start since his January arrival in United's draw at Crystal Palace on Wednesday. The draw was a blow to United's title ambitions, though Cole is confident they can push Arsenal all the way.
"Their (United's) form has been decent. They’ve been really good recently, playing some good football, creating chances and taking chances. If you look at it as a whole, then you can’t be disappointed as a Manchester United fan at the moment," he added.
"Sir Alex Ferguson always said to us that the title race doesn’t get decided in January, it gets decided in April. It’s too hard to give a prediction for the title with so many games to go because there are so many peaks and troughs to come.
"Over 38 games, you will always hit a rough patch, but Arsenal and Man United haven’t had one yet and we don’t know how they’ll deal with it when they do because they’re not used to being in this position."