Galatasaray Coach Okan Buruk Explains Why Victor Osimhen Did Not Play Against Boluspor
- Galatasaray beat Boluspor 4-1 away from home in their second match of the Turkish Cup this season
- Alvaro Morata scored his first goal for the club on his full debut but Victor Osimhen was not in the squad
- Head coach Okan Buruk has confirmed why the Napoli-owned forward did not travel with his teammates
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Victor Osimhen missed Galatasaray's 4-1 Turkish Super Cup win over Boluspor and head coach Okan Buruk has given the reason for the striker’s absence.
Osimhen’s goalscoring streak snapped during Galatasaray's 1-0 away win over Gaziantep in the league, with new signing Ahmed Kutucu scoring the only goal for the team.
Source: Getty Images
The Nigerian has been the team's best all-round attacker since joining the team on a season-long loan from Napoli in the summer, even in the absence of the injured Mauro Icardi.
Alvaro Morata with his full debut goal was one of Gala’s scorers in the Cup win while Eyup Aydin, Yusuf Demir and Ahmed Kutucu were the other goalscorers.
Why Osimhen did not play
As noted by All Nigeria Soccer, the Super Eagles star was left out of the travelling squad announced before the match, raising suspicion over his fitness status.
Okan Buruk, speaking after the match as quoted by NTV Spor, confirmed there was no issue with the Nigerian and he was only trying to manage his load.
“We also rested Osimhen,” Buruk said. In other words, he also played a lot of matches, and at high intensity, and he put a lot of pressure on him. This is a difficult away game.
“In other words, coming on the bus, the stadium ground was a little scary. It didn't happen as we feared. That's why we didn't bring him here either.”
The Turkish champions had no problem dispatching the second-division side even in the absence of their best goalscorer, with Osimhen still waiting to make his debut in the competition.
He is expected to return to action when the Lions host Adana Demirspor in the league at the RAMS Park on Sunday as they aim to maintain their unbeaten league start.
Galatasaray have not lost a game all season until their final UEFA Europa League game against Dutch giants Ajax, which they lost 2-1 despite Osimhen's consolation goal.
Napoli gives out Osimhen's jersey number
Legit.ng reported that Napoli gave out Osimhen's jersey number to a new signing, hinting that the Super Eagles forward's days at the Italian club are over.
Noah Okafor, to whom the number was given out, is a Swiss striker of Nigerian descent. He joined the Neapolitans on loan with an option to buy from AC Milan.
Napoli maintain stance on Osimhen
Legit.ng reported that Napoli confirmed their position on Osimhen after rejecting Galatasaray's offer to sign the striker permanently during the winter window.
The Serie A club rejected the Turkish champions' €65 million offer, further reiterating their position that they would not accept anything below his €75 million release clause.
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Source: Legit.ng
