Victor Osimhen’s scoring skills at Napoli is not being enhanced by his teammates at the club, the striker’s brother, Andrew, has stated.
According to Andrew, Osimhen’s teammates do not play for him to score.
He suggested that until there’s a change in Napoli’s play, the Nigerian striker, who didn’t score in his last four games since he returned to action from injury and ill-health, may not end his goal-scoring drought.
Osimhen has scored twice in 15 appearances in all competitions for Napoli, with his last goal coming against Bologna in a Serie A game in November last year.
“Napoli does not seem to play for their striker, the team does not enhance Victor’s scoring skills and until this happens he will not be able to score the goals he wants to score. Napoli must play more as a team and more for him,” Andrew said in an interview on Radio Marte.
Osimhen, 21, missed a chunk of games with a shoulder injury picked up on international duty in November and was also left out of Napoli’s first four games of the year while in isolation after he contracted COVID-19 while in Nigeria on holidays last December.
“Since he came back he has not been able to express himself better. Napoli must play more as a team and more for him,” Andrew added.
Napoli coach, Gennaro Gattuso, however, leaped in defence of his team, insisting that the Super Eagles striker was not at his best yet and needed to regain his sharpness to rediscover his form again.
“As I already said, Osimhen was out for a long time, he’s still playing with strapping to his shoulder and is not 100 per cent. He needs to find consistency and sharpness to play his game. At the moment, he has these gaps and isn’t capable of moving consistently, as we’ve seen in the statistics.
“He was out for 93 days and still has some problems with his shoulder, it’s normal that he’s not at his best,” Gattuso told Sky Italia.
Osimhen reacted swiftly to his brother’s comment on Friday, insisting he had no spokesman, and declared his love for the Partenopei.
“I wish to make it clear that asking for a football-related opinion to a relative of mine is not the same as asking me directly,” Osimhen wrote in a story on Instagram.
“I love Napoli, the club, my coach, and my team. I especially love my teammates and I hope to continue growing and improving to help them even more.
“This is my official opinion, and I ask you to respect it…no one is my spokesperson or whatsoever.”
Last summer, Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille for a club record €70m, including add-ons and bonuses.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr expects Osimhen to be 100 per cent fit before next month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic on March 22 and Lesotho eight days later.
Osimhen has scored four goals in four AFCON qualifying games for the Eagles.
“First I hope Osimhen recovers fully from the injury he sustained in Benin City. I hope he will be very fit again. That is my very wish for him. Yes he is playing now for Napoli but he needs to regain sharpness,” Rohr told Saturday Punch
The Eagles will seal qualification for the AFCON tournament next year should they earn a point against second-place Benin in Cotonou next month.
Credit: punchng.com
