October 13, (THEWILL) – Beppe Incocciati, a former AC Milan striker, believes Victor Osimhen will shine even brighter under manager Luciano Spalletti’s tutelage, claiming that the Nigerian forward had the attributes to satisfy his coach’s demands. It was an opinion shared by Fabio Cannavaro.
After a topsy-turvy debut season following his move from Ligue 1 side Lille, Osimhen is having the time of his life in the Italian Serie A. After collecting a red card in the first half of the season opener against Venezia, August dampened his spirits, but September could not have gone much better for the forward.
Except for the super-clash against Juventus on the 11th of last month, which Spalletti’s side won 2-1, and the last tie before the international break on October 3, which Napoli also won by the same margin, Osimhen has scored in every game the Neapolitans have played so far.
In five September fixtures, the Super Eagles striker scored seven goals, including a brace against Sampdoria and Leicester City (in the Europa League). It was therefore no surprise that the ex-Royal Charleroi player was named Serie A Player of the Month for the first time.
Osimhen has had a similarly excellent start to October, winning a penalty to help Napoli defeat Fiorentina on the third day and scoring in Nigeria’s 2-0 win over the Central African Republic (CAR) on Sunday.
And, Incocciati is convinced that the Nigerian star’s physical and mental qualities make him a formidable goalscorer and goal creator.
“Osimhen? I glimpsed in him characteristics that matched well in the context of Napoli right from the start, both in terms of speed and physical abilities and in terms of height,” the former Napoli forward told Radio Marte.
“He is also a boy with a great personality, who has shown will and commitment. With Spalletti, someone like him can only be strengthened; he knows both how to score and put his teammates in a position to score them.
“The boy is growing and improving, so we’re going to see some good ones.”
But, he was not alone in singling out Osimhen for adulation. Fabio Cannavaro, the legendary Italian defender who now manages Chinese club Guangzhou, believes the Scudetto battle will be more competitive this season than last.
With the support of a certain Napoli attacker who Cannavaro believed had the capacity to “hurt opponents” in the box, Cannavaro held that Osinhem’s Napoli had a realistic chance of winning the Scudetto for the first time since the 1989/1990 season.
Cannavaro said: “Napoli are solid, they can win the Scudetto. But beware of the two sides from Milan. Spalletti’s team look like a wall at times and have different solutions. Osimhen was thought to be a crazy horse, but in the box he knows how to hurt the opponents.”
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.
