Osimhen Back to Full Training Ahead of Champions League Return Leg

Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen has returned to full training at Napoli after missing the last two weeks because of an adductor problem.

Osimhen has arguably been the best player at Napoli this season. He has been the major lynchpin for the Partenopeans this season scoring 25 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions.

However, he sustained an injury while on international duty with Nigeria in March. Because of this, he has missed Napoli’s previous three games, and the results were unconvincing. The Partenopeans were crushed by AC Milan in Serie A, but they got back on track with a 2-1 win against Lecce.

The last game that Osimhen missed was their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal clash against AC Milan, and his absence was duly felt. Napoli lacked the cutting edge in the box, and they paid for it, as they succumbed 1-0 to the Rossoneri.

Napoli return to action this weekend against Hellas Verona, and ahead of the fixture, the club has confirmed that Osimhen has returned to full training.

He was part of the squad as they practiced tactical work and dead ball exercises. However, coach Luciano Spalletti may be looking to keep him fresh and reduce his minutes against Verona.

The bigger picture is the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal clash against AC Milan next Tuesday.

Osimhen has never scored against AC Milan since he moved to Italy, but he would look to change that next week.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are confident they can win the race for Osimhen even without the allure of Champions League football next season.

As revealed in February, Chelsea have made Osimhen their top striker target for 2023 after months of scouting the Nigeria international, and club officials are preparing what will likely be a club-record bid to take the 24-year-old to Stamford Bridge.

Osimhen, who has 21 goals in 23 games for Serie A leaders Napoli this season, is also on the radars of Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, who are all understood to have made contact with the striker’s representatives.

However, sources have confirmed to 90min that Chelsea believe they can outbid their rivals and convince Osimhen to move to London even without the promise of Champions League football next season.

Moving to England’s capital city is of interest to Osimhen but so too is the chance to follow in the footsteps of his childhood idol, Ivorian striker Didier Drogba, who is fondly remembered as one of Chelsea’s all-time greatest players.