Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be bitterly disappointed following the recent news of the club's major transfer target of 2022, Cody Gakpo, falling into enemy territory.

Indeed, the Premier League giants have touted PSV Eindhoven's Gakpo since the summer, when the 23-year-old revealed to The Times that he had discussed a prospective move with Ten Hag.

And more recently, following the player's three-goal haul at the World Cup in Qatar, publications such as The Mirror have illustrated the Red Devils' January transfer plans, laid to waste by Liverpool's swift action.

In order to shake off the disappointment, United must turn to another supreme attacking option: Victor Osimhen.

The Napoli phenom was regarded as an option for the club by the Manchester Evening News, albeit with the opinion that a summer move might be more realistic for Napoli's brilliant striker.

Another source also proclaimed that the 23-cap Nigerian is the "prime" target to place into the Theatre of Dreams, and an increase in intrigue will likely be ramped up over the coming weeks.

Time to forget Gakpo

Having scored 13 goals and assisted 17 more from just 24 appearances for PSV this year, Gakpo is undoubtedly a name that United supporters will rue the sound of for years to come, with Jurgen Klopp's Reds clinching the forward’s signature for an initial £35m this week.

Journalist Mina Rzouki heralded the Nigerian sensation as a "machine", also lauding him for being the "heart and soul" of a Napoli side that are eight points clear at the top of the Italian Serie A table and came first in a Champions League group consisting of Liverpool, AFC Ajax and Rangers.

His exploits have left him among the premier forwards on the globe at present, with his ten goals and three assists from 14 outings affirming the calibre of his talismanic aura, leading transfer insider Dean Jones to state he would be an "unbelievable signing" to GIVEMESPORT.

And the 24-year-old, while he doesn't quite possess the same level of creative flair that the Dutch Gakpo brings, offers a deadly clinical edge, an ability to burst from danger to devastation, wreaking havoc on helpless defences with his fine finishing and fearsome physicality.

As per FBref, Osimhen ranks within the top 3% of forwards for rate of non-penalty goals, and the top 2% for total shots, while in the top 12% for touches in the attacking penalty area - a relentless and tenacious forward presence; a Red Devil in the box.

And with the departure of 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who terminated his contract by mutual consent following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, that central focal point in attack is the area that needs attention.

The £91k-per-week Osimhen is one of Europe's most in-form and touted forwards, and having signed for his current club for a reported $96m (£79.6m), it would take a mammoth bid to prise him away from the clutches of Blues boss Luciano Spalletti.

It might indeed be that Ten Hag has to wait until summer, but there are not many around to boast the same level of sheer excellence on the football pitch, and Old Trafford would be wise to bide its time and pounce when the moment comes.