Ahead of a busy summer for Manchester United, ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has warned his former team about two possible targets for the summer notably Victor Osimhen and Harry Kane.
Ferdinand, who represented Manchester United from 2002 – 2014 and made 312 appearances scoring 7 goals, has warned the club about the risk of bringing Osimhen to the Premier League.
He also shared his two cents on Harry Kane and what he could potentially bring to the Manchester United team.
Victor Osimhen and Harry Kane are among the notable strikers being linked with a move to Old Trafford.
Both players have scored 20+ goals this season in their respective leagues this campaign.
Although Victor Osimhen and Harry Kane are currently faced with contrasting fortunes. The Nigerian International is set for Champions League football next season after guiding Napoli to the Italian Serie A title.
Harry Kane on the other hand might not be playing in the UEFA Champions League next season if he remains at Tottenham Hotspur.
Kane is on the verge of entering the remaining 12 months of his Tottenham Hotspur contract which implies that a potential deal to lure the Englishman to Manchester United could be easier than that of Osimhen.
Rio Ferdinand also acknowledges that the Spurs forward has Premier League experience on his side.
However, he also notes the challenge of Manchester United being forced to deal with shrewd Businessman and Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur Daniel Levy.
Ferdinand also feels Manchester United shouldn’t pay an exorbitant amount to land Harry Kane.
On his Five YouTube channel, the 44-year-old said: “A number nine is the obvious area that Man Utd need to sort out, we need to get a number in the building.
“There are two names that keep coming up, Osimhen from Napoli and Harry Kane. Ultimately, it is down to Kane and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
“If they both say ‘yes, we want to make it happen’, I think Man United get it done.
“The numbers can’t be ridiculous, Levy’s got to be realistic. They’ve got blood, sweat, tears, records, goals, a lot out of Harry Kane.
“Let the guy do what he needs to do now, man. Let him go on and try to compete for Champions Leagues, for championships, for cup competitions.”
Harry Kane has scored 28 Premier League goals this campaign and he is the second top scorer in the 2022/23 season, behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
But as earlier highlighted, Tottenham Hotspur might not play European football next season while Manchester United have qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Rio Ferdinand said that if Harry Kane makes that switch to Manchester United, he has a better chance of winning a trophy.
He said: “If he came to Man Utd, he might not even be competing for a title. It might take another year or two, but they’re closer than where Spurs are, that’s the point.”
Victor Osimhen and Harry Kane differ on the number of goals scored this season as the Neapolitan attacker has scored just 23 goals in the Italian first division this season.
However, Ferdinand still has doubts over the former Lille forward’s ability to repeat the same feat in England.
The Englishman said: “Osimhen is a different kettle of fish. He’s 24, he’s scored goals in France and now in Italy. Won the league in Italy and knows how to win leagues.
“He’s been No.9 at a dominant team in the football league.”
Speaking on the risks concerning Osimhen joining Manchester United, he said:
“Is that transferable to the Premier League? No one knows that. That’s the chance United would have to take on him.
“That’s the only risk I see. He doesn’t know the league – that’s it.
“Ability wise and profile, goalscoring, he ticks every box, but there is an unknown factor in does he know how to play in the Premier League? Can he adapt to the Premier League?
“But I wouldn’t see that as a big risk. I’d take either of those two and I’d be happy but the one thing with Kane, he guarantees you 20 or 25 goals a season.
“There’s no doubt in your mind he gets that when he comes to Man Utd.”
Overtime, we have seen strikers move from the Serie A directly to the Premier League and they haven’t been an instant hit.
Most recently was Romelu Lukaku who made a return back to the Premier League, moving from Inter Milan to Chelsea.
But he couldn’t hit the ground running under Thomas Tuchel and was subsequently loaned back to the Serie A.
Victor Osimhen and Harry Kane most likely would offer goals to the Manchester United attack based on how lethal they have been over time.
However, it is uncertain who out of these two strikers would be the perfect fit for the Old Trafford giants.
