Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri says that Victor Osimhen is in doubt to face Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg clash at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Nigerian returned back to Naples on Friday after his participation at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where Super Eagles reached the final but lost to hosts Ivory Coast.
He did not make the matchday squad of Saturday’s Serie A game against Genoa and watched from the stands as they played out a 1-1 draw.
Mazzarri stated that Osimhen is not yet in his best shape having suffered abdominal pain during AFCON 2023 and rued having not utilised him enough since he took from Rudi Garcia in November.
“According to him and the doctors, the boy is at his lowest,” Mazzarri told DAZN as per Reuters.
“Coming back from the African Cup of Nations it wouldn’t have been the best choice to risk it and let him play for a quarter of an hour to 20 minutes, so the doctor told me.
“Today he had an anti-fatigue training, tomorrow he will train. We hope to have him ready for Barcelona (but) his presence will not be certain.
“Since I arrived I’ve never had him. He was injured, I had to recover him gradually. Then there was the Africa Cup of Nations.”
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Osimhen is Napoli’s leading scorer this season with eight goals in all competitions.
He suffered a hamstring injury back in October which saw him miss nine games including Nigeria’s November international fixtures.
