‘Extraordinary Osimhen difficult to stop’

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen. Photo: Super Eagles

Former Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim has described Victor Osimhen as one of the best strikers in world football, insisting the Nigeria international is extremely difficult to contain in one-on-one situations, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Terim highlighted the 27-year-old’s finishing ability, physical presence and knack for punishing even the slightest defensive mistake, saying opponents struggle to cope with him when he is fully focused.

“Osimhen is an extraordinary striker, among the best in the world. As long as he stays focused on the game, it’s really difficult to go one-on-one with him,” Terim said, as quoted by 24saatgazetesi.

“He can score goals even when it’s not on his mind, even when there’s no scoring opportunity. He’s a striker who earns his own living the hard way.”

The former Galatasaray boss also stressed Osimhen’s ability to punish opponents immediately when they make mistakes, while identifying his temperament as one area he needs to manage.

“He punishes you immediately if you make the slightest mistake as an opponent; he’s a completely different kind of player. He just needs to avoid getting unnecessarily angry or stressed,” he added.

Osimhen’s early-season form for Galatasaray has underlined the qualities praised by Terim, with the striker scoring six goals and providing two assists in four appearances before suffering a groin injury.

The Nigerian has been sidelined since September 4, when he scored Galatasaray’s opening goal in their 3-2 victory over Istanbul Basaksehir before being forced off in the 33rd minute with pain in his right groin.

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Medical tests revealed a moderate-to-severe strain with bleeding in the right adductor muscle group, after which Osimhen missed Galatasaray’s Champions League opener against Sporting CP and their 1-0 league win over Kocaelispor.

Despite the injury, Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle included Osimhen in his 24-man squad for Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Nigeria host Madagascar in Uyo on September 25 before travelling to Guinea-Bissau four days later, giving Osimhen limited time to prove his fitness.

The Galatasaray forward was still training separately from the main group on Thursday, meaning he had yet to return to full team training since sustaining the injury.

His inclusion does not guarantee that he will start either qualifier, with his recovery and return to competitive football set to determine his role.

Chelle has also named Tolu Arokodare, Akor Adams and George Ilenikhena in the squad, giving him alternative options in attack should Osimhen fail to recover in time.

With Nigeria’s first qualifier against Madagascar fast approaching, the focus will now be on whether Osimhen can recover sufficiently to give Chelle the option of unleashing one of his most potent attacking weapons.