We ‘signed’ Victor Osimhen for Man United next season and he outscored Ronaldo

Manchester United are reportedly lining up an offer for Napoli forward Victor Osimhen ahead of the summer transfer window.

The striker is having an impressive season so far, scoring 11 goals and grabbing four assists in 22 games in all competitions for Luciano Spalletti’s side. United could dip into the transfer market for a new striker this summer, particularly with Edinson Cavani set to leave at the end of his contract and Ralf Rangnick having concerns around Cristiano Ronaldo.

Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla has reported that United want Osimhen at Old Trafford, with Rangnick having previously stated his interest in strengthening that position. Osimhen joined Napoli for £67.5 million from Lille in 2020, and the Italian side will be looking to make a profit if he was to leave in the summer.

ALSO READ: Cristiano Ronaldo handed huge downgrade in latest Football Manager 2022 update.

The 23-year-old is playing a vital role in Napoli’s title charge this season with seven of his goals coming in Serie A. So, if Osimhen was to make the move to United in the summer, what sort of impact could he have on Rangnick’s side?

We simulated the 2022/23 season with Osimhen in the United squad and this is what happened.

We ‘signed’ Victor Osimhen for United in July 2022

To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Osimhen to join United at the start of the summer transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation. The striker joined United in the simulation for a whopping £90 million.

We also released Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Cavani, Juan Mata, Tahith Chong and Lee Grant at the beginning of the season with these players all out of contract in the summer of 2022, and Mauricio Pochettino was hired as manager in the simulation for the 2022/23 season.

This is how Osimhen’s in-game profile looks on FM22.

Described by the media as an elite striker, Osimhen boasts a much different skillset to the current options at United. The Nigerian international’s best attributes are his pace (19), off the ball (18), acceleration (17) and finishing (16).

Osimhen had a decent first season at United in the simulation. The striker made a total of 50 appearances in all competitions, scoring 19 times and grabbing two assists. But in 34 Premier League games, the 23-year-old scored just eight times, with over half of his goals coming in cup competitions. He excelled in the Carabao Cup though, scoring five goals in five appearances.

In all competitions, he averaged a rating of 7.01. His best competition was the Carabao Cup where his average rating was 7.4 per game, whilst his worst was in the Champions League, averaging a 6.78 rating.

At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Man United XI based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what United’s best XI looked like at the end of the 2022/23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:

Full United best XI (5-2-3): De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Tomori, Shaw; Fernandes, Aouar; Rashford, Osimhen, Ronaldo.

Pochettino opted to play a 5-2-3 formation in his first season in charge. Summer signings Fikayo Tomori and Houssem Aouar made it into the best eleven, as did Osimhen. Osimhen started in the lone striker role whilst Ronaldo was moved out to the left to accommodate the Nigerian. Marcus Rashford started ahead of Jadon Sancho on the right, whilst Anthony Elanga’s game time was limited.

At the end of the season, Osimhen finished the campaign as United’s top scorer, scoring five more than Rashford and six more than Ronaldo. Despite this, the 23-year-old actually averaged the lowest rating per game out of the United strikers, suggesting his all-round play needs work.

So, how did United perform in the league and cup competitions after signing the 28-year-old in the summer transfer window? Let’s take a look.

United’s results from the 2022/23 simulation:

United’s new defensive unit saw Pochettino’s side concede the second-fewest number of goals in the Premier League during the 2022/23 season, with United finishing third in the simulation. Pochettino’s men won 23 games during the Premier League campaign, ending the season on 75 points.

Manchester City won the league with 86 points, followed by Liverpool in second. City and Liverpool finished 11 points and one point ahead of United respectively, which is significantly closer than in previous campaigns.

United clearly showed improvement in the Premier League with Pochettino in charge and some new arrivals in the squad, and it wasn’t the only improvement either, with United winning one major trophy and coming close to another.

Osimhen played a vital role for United in their trophy win, with the striker scoring twice in the Carabao Cup final as United beat Liverpool 3-2 at Wembley. Fellow summer signing Houssem Aouar also got on the scoresheet, with all five goals being scored in the first half.

And United also reached the Champions League final in this season simulation but fell short at the final hurdle. Goals from Lionel Messi and Gabriel Barbosa handed Paris Saint-Germain a 2-0 win.

There was disappointment in the FA Cup for United too, losing 4-1 to Liverpool in the fourth round. Harry Maguire’s early red card was the beginning of United’s troubles, with Liverpool scoring three goals in reply to Rashford’s first-half equaliser.

Overall, this Football Manager 2022 simulation suggests that if United were to sign Osimhen in the summer, the striker could become the standout striker for United, outscoring Ronaldo and helping United win a major trophy.

The addition of Pochettino and Osimhen saw United improve, finishing only 11 points behind first-placed City in the league, but there’s still work to do if they are to challenge the likes of City and Liverpool.

Would you like to see Osimhen sign for Man United? Let us know in the comments below.

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