Napoli’s Victor Osimhen in doubt for Champions League clash versus Barcelona | OneFootball

Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri has expressed uncertainty surrounding Victor Osimhen’s fitness recently.

Speaking in the post-match interview after Napoli’s 1-1 draw with Genoa via TMW, Walter Mazzarri commented on star man Victor Osimhen’s absence from the squad for the stalemate. The Napoli manager talked about the dip in fitness levels for the Nigerian since coming back from the Africa Cup of Nations. He said: “According to him and the doctors, the boy was at his lowest. He had contractures, and returning from the Africa Cup of Nations he wasn’t the best case of risking it to let him play for a quarter of an hour to twenty minutes, so the doctor told me. Everyone would have done as we did, as the player himself also wanted.”

The 25-year-old scored only a single goal during the whole AFCON and ended up as runners-up, losing the final to Ivory Coast. He has probably returned with an injury from the tournament and will take some time to fully recover.

The Italian manager confirmed that the striker has undergone an anti-fatigue training today and will commence full training from tomorrow. He hopes to have Osimhen back for the Champions League clash against Barcelona next week. Mazzarri said: “Today he trained with the anti-fatigue, tomorrow he will train. We hope to have him ready and restored for Barcelona. When I arrived he was injured, I had to recover him gradually. Then there was the Africa Cup of Nations. We hope to have him available for all the next matches, in the league and in the Champions League. Let’s hope so, given that the year is what it is.”

Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN