Luciano Spalletti wants his Napoli side to match the energy and desire of Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen to achieve their goals this season.
Victor Osimhen just returned from a facial injury that kept him on the sidelines, but he plays with a protective mask.
Napoli are in a straight fight for the Scudetto with the two Milan giants, Inter Milan and AC Milan. The Partenopei dropped behind in the chase for the Serie A title.
Napoli had raced to an early-season lead. It looked like the Italian giants, who are yet to win the league since the days of Diego Maradona, were on course for another title until they derailed midway into the season.
The title is still open, with Napoli trailing the Nerazzurri, who remain league leaders. Things haven’t gone to script for the Partenopei this season as a series of poor results and injuries combined to set them off course. The cause is not beyond redemption, as the Inter loss to AC Milan proved.
A lot seems to be hanging on the young shoulders of Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen as Napoli look to close the gap on Inter Milan. Napoli is still in the Europa League, and their manager Luciano Spalletti hopes the rest of his squad can emulate Osimhen to achieve their desires.
Osimhen back to action
The Super Eagles of Nigeria played at the Africa Cup of Nations without their top striker Victor Osimhen. The 23-year-old striker was out of commission for an extended period after an injury sustained in a Serie A game against Inter Milan. The forward suffered a facial fracture after a collision of heads with Inter’s Milan Skriniar.
Osimhen defied the odds to return to action earlier than planned, much to the joy of the manager. Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti is impressed with the young lad, and he praised the effort Victor Osimhen channelled into his recovery process to return ahead of time.
The injury suffered in November was a left cheekbone and orbital fracture. The doctors declared Osimhen out for three months after surgery, but the 23-year-old surprised many when he resumed individual training after two weeks. Osimhen, who was eager to be part of the Super Eagles party to Cameroon, started training with the aid of a mask but was eventually ruled out due to a positive Covid-19 test.
Praise from Spalletti
Victor Osimhen, who has attracted interest from teams like Tottenham and Liverpool, made a competitive return against Bologna last month and played another 26 minutes against Salernitana.
Napoli travel to Venice for a date with Venezia on Sunday afternoon, and Osimhen should make his first start since his return from injury.
This article was most recently revised and updated 11 months ago
