Patrice Evra Advocates for Victor Osimhen at Manchester United

Patrice Evra has nailed his colours to the mast. If Manchester United are serious about fixing their attack, he says, they should move for Victor Osimhen – and be prepared to pay big.

The former United left-back, speaking to GOAL in association with Stake, was blunt about what Michael Carrick’s squad is missing as the window ticks towards another deadline.

“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.”

Osimhen the headline act

Osimhen has hovered around United’s radar before, his numbers impossible to ignore. He fired Napoli to the Serie A title and left Italy with 76 goals across four seasons, a record that shoved him into the elite bracket.

The standards have not dipped in Turkey. At Galatasaray, the Nigerian has plundered 59 goals in just 74 appearances, a ruthless return that explains why Evra is so adamant. He’s also locked into a deal in Istanbul until 2029, which means any conversation starts at “huge offer” territory and only climbs from there.

United, though, are light through the middle. Benjamin Sesko is the only natural No.9 in Carrick’s squad. For Evra, that’s nowhere near enough for a club trying to claw its way back among the game’s heavyweights.

Building around a new core

Evra is not blind to the rest of the squad. He knows there will be life after Casemiro and has already picked out who should step into that void.

“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. [Patrick] Dorgu and [Bryan] Mbeumo are playing, we’ve got Amad Diallo. So we have got something offensively.”

There is the outline of an attacking unit there: Fernandes still pulling strings, fresh legs in Santos, width and energy from Dorgu, Mbeumo and Diallo. But without a killer in the box, the picture feels incomplete. That’s where Evra keeps circling back to Osimhen.

Defensive surgery still needed

The Frenchman’s concerns don’t end at centre-forward. He sees a back line still in need of surgery.

“Defensively, they may need to find a good alternative left-back. Maybe another centre-back,” he said. “Harry Maguire, for me, is doing his job and you know, he’s criticised a lot, but he shows you the resilience. I think maybe we need to find a good right-back, a good attacking and defensive right-back.”

Maguire, so often the lightning rod for frustration, gets a rare public backing from a club legend. But around him, Evra wants reinforcements: depth at left-back, competition or upgrades in the middle, and a modern right-back who can both lock down a flank and drive it forward.

Rashford’s second act

Up the pitch, one of the most intriguing storylines of United’s season might come from a player who has technically never left. Marcus Rashford has been on the club’s books since the age of seven, yet after loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, he returns to Carrick’s squad with the air of a new signing.

Now 28, Rashford had been exploring a permanent move away. Instead, he finds himself back at Old Trafford with 426 United appearances and 138 goals behind him, and a fresh chance to change the narrative.

Evra believes the slate can be wiped clean.

“I think United fans, they forgive. They forgive. But after, you know, there's all the pressure on social media and stuff like that, I think [Matheus] Cunha is doing very well.

“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, in Evra’s eyes, is the challenge. Rashford may no longer be the automatic starter, not with Cunha impressing and competition tightening. The response has to be attitude, not complaint.

“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.”

A ruthless No.9, a rebuilt defence, a humbled but hungry Rashford. Evra has drawn the blueprint. The question now is whether United will match that ambition in the market – and whether those already inside Carrick’s dressing room are ready to live up to it.