Victor Osimhen did not make his comeback on Sunday when Napoli battled Cremonese at Stadio Giovanni Zini (Cremona), with manager of the Blues, Luciano Spalletti stating his reasons.
Prior to the game, Spalletti has announced a 25-man provisional squad for the trip to Lombardy, consisting of three goalkeepers, nine defenders, eight midfielders and five strikers, but the club’s record acquisition, Osimhen was left out.
Osimhen was involved in Napoli’s last two training sessions at the SSCN Konami Training Center, on Friday and Saturday, but partially trained with the rest of his teammates and also had a personalized session.
Spalletti disclosed at the pre-match press conference that he did not want to risk his number 9 because he is not yet in tiptop condition.
It will be recalled that Osimhen was rushed back from injury before he was fully fit, only to suffer a relapse during the first half of the Champions League clash against Liverpool on September 7.
“We have to be careful with Osimhen, he is not yet in perfect condition and we decided to give him another turn to rest to give him the right time to recover,” Spalletti said.
These are assessments that are made after clinical examinations because once we had to do without him for a long time.
“We don’t want to risk anything. Victor will be working on site these days.”
Sassuolo loanee Giacomo Raspadori has deputized for the recuperating Osimhen since his spell on the sidelines, and has proved his credentials with four goals in five matches.
