Former Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson has warned his old club against signing Liam Delap, insisting the Ipswich Town striker is not an “upgrade” on Joshua Zirkzee or Rasmus Hojlund and that they should pursue Victor Osimhen instead, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Gibson expressed reservations about United’s reported interest in the 22-year-old Delap, arguing that Ruben Amorim’s side need an established striker like the Nigeria international rather than another young prospect.
“Honestly? I don’t think Liam Delap is an upgrade on Zirkzee or Hojlund. They’re both so young and they’ve come in at a difficult time,” Gibson told AceOdds.
“Normally, young strikers would have a more experienced striker to learn from and bounce off them. If United had bought Harry Kane two summers ago, I think Hojlund or Zirkzee would be different players learning from him.”
The former Republic of Ireland international believes United’s struggling forwards would benefit from having a seasoned striker to guide their development, pointing to the pressure young players face at Old Trafford.
“I don’t mean to take anything away from Delap but I don’t think he’s an upgrade. Rio (Ferdinand) spoke about the pressure at United recently and how players don’t realise how difficult it is,” Gibson continued.
“Right now, Delap is at Ipswich and there’s not much pressure on him. He’s playing with freedom but it’s different at United. They need an established striker. Victor Osimhen would be my top target. He scores goals and he’s more experienced. He can teach the younger lads.”
However, Gibson’s preferred target appears increasingly unlikely to join United, with Osimhen edging closer to securing a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian champions Al-Hilal despite passionate appeals from Galatasaray supporters.
The 26-year-old is reportedly in advanced negotiations with Al-Hilal over a three-year contract worth close to £15m per season, according to Sky Sports, after lighting up the Turkish Süper Lig with 25 goals and five assists in 29 games during his loan spell from Napoli.
Galatasaray fans have launched increasingly creative campaigns to persuade the Nigerian striker to remain in Istanbul, including a heartfelt plea displayed on a Times Square billboard in New York City as part of an ongoing #staywithus campaign.
However, these emotional appeals appear unlikely to deter Osimhen from his Saudi Arabian switch, with Al-Hilal president Fahad bin Nafel reportedly receiving verbal confirmation of the striker’s desire to join the Riyadh-based club.
Sky Sports Switzerland’s Sacha Tavolieri previously reported that Osimhen is in direct negotiations with bin Nafel, with personal terms close to being agreed on a contract that would see him earn an annual salary of up to €17.5m, including bonuses.
The completion of the transfer now hinges solely on approval from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sports, with the ‘financial viability’ committee yet to give the green light to release the necessary government funds required to finalise the transaction.
