BEVERLY HILLS, February 23, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, striker for Serie A side Napoli, who was cleared to leave the hospital and return to Naples, will not be included in the Matchday squad to face Granada in their Europa League round of 32 second-leg clash at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Thursday.
The 22-year-old stayed in Bergamo overnight as a precaution.
He was stretchered off the pitch and immediately taken to the hospital after he collapsed in the final minutes of Napoli’s 4-2 loss to Atlanta on Sunday. With the results from more thorough medical examinations carried out on him for the head trauma he suffered all negative, Osimhen was allowed to return on Monday.
The official statement from the club, shared on their website on Tuesday, said his return will be followed by a period of rest before he can partake in monitored training.
“Victor Osimhen underwent further tests, with all coming back negative,” the statement said.
“The striker will now rest for a period of a few days before gradually returning to training. His condition will be monitored on a daily basis.”
The seventh-placed Napoli are in a tight spot and could have done with a fit and firing Osimhen now more than ever. Their unimpressive form recently has seen them drop off the top five with 40 points from 22 games. An impressive home victory over champions Juventus appeared to have saved manager Gennaro Gattuso his job but it has not been followed up.
In Europe also, they have a mountain to climb if they are to still have any hope of progressing to the last sixteen of the Europa League after losing 2-0 to Spanish side Granada at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes in the first leg of their round of 32 double-header, last Thursday.
Due to his initial red card suspension and subsequent shoulder injury, sustained while on international duty with Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Osimhen has played just three matches in this season’s Europa League, including the first leg against the Spanish opponents from Andalusia.
Based on the club’s decision to “gradually” return the forward to training, Osimhen will be made to begin with short sessions for a period of time before gradually easing into full training. This effectively rules him out of their crucial Europa return leg.
Hopefully, he should be up and running full time by mid-March when previous league leading side AC Milan is expected to host them for a round 27 tie of the Serie A 2020/2021 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.
