Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti has maintained he has faith in the qualities of striker Victor Osimhen, while comparing the Nigerian international with fellow attackers, Dries Mertens and Andrea Petagna.
Osimhen struggled to justify his big-money move in his debut campaign with the Serie A club; scoring 11 goals in 27 matches, as the attacker was limited to 30 games across all competitions due to injury and coronavirus-related problems.
However, Spalletti, who succeeded Gennaro Gattuso at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, believes Osimhen possesses the qualities to help the team fare better in the new campaign.
“I don’t see why we shouldn’t do well with the current squad; Osimhen falls into this discourse,” Spalletti said as quoted by Soccernet.
“He attacks the depth; he has excellent qualities in the spaces. He knows how to score, helps the team, covers the spaces, and does not leave them to others. He is a strong one like Mertens, Petagna.”
The 22-year-old signed for the Serie A outfit charges last season and went on to score 11 goals as his team finished fifth on the table.
Osimhen joined Napoli from Ligue 1 – where he played 27 league matches for Lille, and would go on to score 13 goals in the 27 matches played.
The Super Eagle also had stint with Belgian Jupiler Pro League side, Sporting Charleroi and in the German Bundesliga with Wolfsburg where he made 14 appearances and no goal to his name.
