Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk says Victor Osimhen is extremely important to the club, comparing his influence to that of Kylian Mbappé at Real Madrid and Harry Kane at Bayern Munich.
Osimhen has enjoyed a productive second season in Istanbul, scoring 19 goals and providing five assists in 29 appearances across all competitions.
His contributions have been central to Galatasaray’s domestic dominance and their European run, which saw them reach the Champions League round of 16 before being knocked out by Liverpool
In the Super Lig, Galatasaray are targeting a fourth consecutive title and currently sit top of the table. They are two points ahead of second-placed Fenerbahce.
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Recent results have highlighted Osimhen’s influence even more. The team have collected four points from a possible nine during his spell on the sidelines. The striker was out of action for some weeks due to a forearm fracture.
Speaking ahead of Galatasaray’s league clash with Gençlerbirliği, Buruk highlighted Osimhen’s value to the side.
“Some players are very important and valuable to their teams. We watched the Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid match. Just as Mbappé is to Real Madrid, and Harry is to Bayern Munich, Osimhen is to Galatasaray,” the coach said.
“In that sense, he is very important. If you want to play at this level, you need to play with very strong players. Players with very strong profiles,” he added.
Osimhen, who has now returned to full training, could be in line to make his 50th Super Lig appearance in the weekend’s fixture in Ankara.
Buruk provided an encouraging update on his fitness, saying: “Osimhen had a long training session with the majority of the team yesterday. He had a good physical workout and finished comfortably.”
On his availability for the weekend, he added: “We’ll see about the weekend today and tomorrow. We’ll decide whether or not to take him to Ankara.”
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