Osimhen's return to action against Milan excites Napoli coach

 

Luciano Spalletti, the head coach of Napoli, is delighted with the return of Victor Osimhen, the team's prolific striker, to competitive action. Osimhen had missed Napoli's last three matches but partially trained with the rest of the group on Thursday. Previous reports suggested that he would be rested for the Italian Serie A match against Hellas Verona.

Despite this, Napoli included Osimhen in the squad for their Serie A fixture against Verona at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Saturday, and he played as a substitute for 17 minutes. The Nigerian international replaced Giacomo Raspadori in the 73rd minute, making his return after a muscle injury suffered while on international duty with the Super Eagles against Guinea Bissau in March.

Osimhen, who is the Serie A's leading scorer with 21 goals, had the best chance of the game for Napoli but hit the crossbar minutes after his introduction, as Napoli and Verona drew 0-0. Spalletti spoke to Radio Kiss Kiss ahead of the Champions League encounter against Milan, giving his assessment of the team's chances and the return of Osimhen, who he counts on to make a difference.

Spalletti stated that Osimhen gave the burst of enthusiasm that the fans attribute to him and showed that he was in the game. He needed the 25 minutes of running to be ready to play on Tuesday. Spalletti added that Osimhen has physicality and speed, and can protect the ball, use his head or change pace. He has so many different alternatives and is a hero of the fans now.

Spalletti also stated that these players are made of different stuff and have so many solutions to help the team, filling the box of delights with all their various characteristics. Osimhen will start against Milan on Tuesday, according to Spalletti. The influential Nigerian missed the 1-0 first-leg loss to Milan last Wednesday.