SSC Napoli of Italy striker, Victor Osimhen may eventually get the golden opportunity of playing against Portuguese sensation, Cristiano Ronaldo, as his Naples-based side are billed to battle Juventus on January 20 in the Italian Super Cup, megasportsarena.com reports.
That would make up for him missing out on the chance of battling The Old Lady of Turin in the Italian Serie A, when his side were walked over after failing to turn up for a well-publicized and highly anticipated game, at a point when Napoli were riding high on the table.
Although the game had initially been awarded to Juve, after Napoli failed to turn up on account of an infection of coronavirus in their camp, league authorities in the peninsula have overturned that decision, and Osimhen’s side are now on course to play in Turin.
The medical crew at Napoli is also upbeat that Osimhen would have fully recovered form a shoulder injury that has kept him out of action since November, and enthusiasm is rolling high at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium that the Super Eagles’ youngster will be available to tango CR7.
While Osimhen is still in Belgium undergoing rehabilitation, the former VfL Wolfsburg of Germany, Sporting Charleroi of Belgium and Lille Metropole of France whiz-kid is expected to return to Italy on Wednesday and make himself available for selection.
He has not played since November 8 when he lasted 83 minutes and got the lone goal in his side’s 1-0 victory away to Bologna, then a week later he dislocated his shoulder during Nigeria’s 4-4 draw against Sierra Leone in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Benin City.
After that setback on November 13, the initial return date was set for Osimhen had been the end of last month and, though his rehabilitation has not gone according to plan, Italian publication, La Repubblica has reported that he could be back playing again on January 20.
The report adds that Napoli’s priority is to have Osimhen back in tip-top condition before they face Juventus in the Italian Super Cup on January 20, but the 21-year-old Chile 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup top scorer might not be ready for their games against Cagliari on January 3, Spezia on January 6 and Udinese on January 10.
Osimhen has missed the last ten games contested by Napoli in all competitions and Gennaro Gattuso’s side have lost three matches in the Serie A without their most expensive signing in history; such that the youngster will be pushing to return to the starting lineup when he gets the medical green light from the club’s medics.
