Victor Osimhen returned from injury in style as he scored a goal in Napoli's final pre-season fixture against Cyprus outfit Apollon.
The forward resumed pre-season with Napoli on the 19th of July after an extended holiday by the club following his national team duties with Nigeria. He bagged a brace during an AFCON 2023 qualifier to help the Super Eagles beat Sierra Leone 3-2 and seal qualification for the tournament in Ivory Coast next year.
Osimhen was kept quiet in his opening pre-season game against SPAL but did what he knows how to do best against Hatayspor, having bagged a brace that helped his side to a comfortable 4-0 win.
There were fears that the Super Eagles star would miss the start of the Serie A having missed Napoli's friendly fixtures against Girona and Augsburg due to a muscle injury but there is apparently nothing to worry about on that front.
Osimhen was named in the starting lineup for Napoli's final pre-season fixture against Apollon and scored in the 60th minute as his side went on to claim a 2-0 victory.
No ankle injury worries, Osimhen continues his scoring form in preseason.
Unruly ready for the new season 🔥🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/LZTWlNWNbU
— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) August 11, 2023
The forward looked sharp as ever and will now switch his focus to the upcoming Serie A season.
Osimhen ready to break records again in Serie A
The 24-year-old played a key role in Napoli’s triumphant Serie A campaign last term, securing their first league title in 33 years. Additionally, he emerged as the top scorer in Italy’s topflight with an impressive tally of 26 goals in 32 games during the 2022/23 season.
Overall, the 24-year-old scored 31 goals in 39 games for the Italian heavyweights and has already secured ‘cult hero' status among the club's supporters.
After a brilliant season in front of goal, many expected that Napoli will struggle to keep their star-man. Indeed, the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Paris-Saint Germain have at one point been interested in the Nigerian but it looks likely that he will remain in Italy for one more season at least.
If further rumors are to go by, the Nigerian could even sign a new contract at Napoli.
🚨 Victor Osimhen is about to extend his contract at Napoli! ✅🇳🇬
(Source: @MatteMoretto ) pic.twitter.com/5l8NUdeKdf
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 11, 2023
With the new season approaching and Osimhen still banging goals for Napoli, the Super Eagles star will be aiming to produce even better numbers than he did last term – showing that it was no fluke at all.
As expected, all eyes will be on Napoli and whether they can defend their Serie A crown. However it may be though, their hopes of replicating yet another successful campaign will hinge strongly on star forward Victor Osimhen and his exploits in front of goal.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
