Nigeria international striker Victor Osimhen was conspicuously missing from the squad of Galatasaray for their league against Konyaspor in the league, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Osimhen who has four assists in his last two games for the club in all competitions is said to have suffered a knee injury, which the coach Okan Buruk confirmed made it impossible for him to play.
Buruk said in the past, Osimhen has played through the pain barrier but this time around he said the pain was unbearable, hence the decision to leave him out of the squad for the game.
“We didn’t bring Osimhen. He had pain in his knee. We didn’t want to take the risk. There have been matches before where he played like this, but when he said today that the pain was too much, we didn’t take the risk”, he explained before the game.
“Our squad is wide. We are confident. However, at the same time, we must keep our feet on the ground. We are leading in the league, but we want to increase the points difference.”
The coach didn’t mention if he will be fit for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 32 playoff against Juventus in Italy. They hold a 5-2 leg from the first leg in Istanbul.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
