April 04, (THEWILL) – Victor Osimhen’s late return from international duty has been explained by Napoli’s Sports Director Cristiano Giuntoli, who stated that the club permitted him to extend his stay.
The Super Eagles striker was yet to return to Naples by Sunday afternoon, after having gone the distance in both games against Ghana in the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup playoff last month.
Giuntoli revealed that the Nigerian was granted permission to postpone his arrival to attend to personal problems, even as he was ineligible to play in the match against Atalanta yesterday.
As THEWILL previously reported, Osimhen earned his fifth yellow card of the season in the closing minutes of the 2-1 win over Udinese in the final game before the international break, meaning that the striker was suspended for the trip to Bergamo.
The Sports Director was clear about why Napoli had no problems with Osimhen’s delayed return: “There is no Osimhen case. He asked for leave for personal reasons. By the way, he was also disqualified for today’s match.
“Victor is an extraordinary guy, a great professional and is loved by everyone. We never communicate our internal situations, I don’t understand why these problems always come up. Fine? But no, absolutely!”
This season, Osimhen has scored fifteen goals in 25 appearances for the Blues in all competitions and the club’s leading goal-scorer has helped the I Partenopei remain in contention for their first Scudetto since the 1989/1990 season.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
