Diego Armando Maradona Jr, son of late Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, has delivered his verdict on Victor Osimhen’s first season at Napoli.
Osimhen struggled to justify the enormous transfer fee Napoli paid to secure his signature from Ligue 1 side Lille, after battling with injury, coronavirus infection, and isolation during his first few months in Serie A.
But he regained his confidence at the turn of the year to score a few crucial goals that nearly powered Napoli into the UEFA Champions League places.
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At the end of his debut campaign Osimhen netted ten goals in 24 games for Napoli.
And during a regular broadcast ‘Arena Maradona’ on Radio CRC as per AreaNapoli, Maradona Jr said:
“He (Osimhen) is not the kind of player that drives me crazy: I like that he’s good with the feet, strong technically. That said, the Nigerian is strong.
“After a year of transition, which was necessary, having come from a mediocre league like Ligue 1, he is expected to have a season, the next, in which he will also be confirmed in Serie A.”
But the son of the late Argentine legend believes Osimhen has the qualities to thrive more under the attacking style of new Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti than former coach Gennaro Gattuso.
“The former Lille lad has the qualities to do it. He has had time to grow; now, he is more mature to overcome the difficulties faced in Italy.
“When he played with Gennaro Gattuso, we were faced with opponents who did not concede depth, and they waited low. For this, Osimhen struggled.
“With Luciano Spalletti, in my opinion, he can improve. If he becomes reliable in building the game, if he learns to meet his teammate, then he becomes an impregnable striker.”
Before moving to Italy, Osimhen scored 13 goals in 27 Ligue 1 matches for Lille. That’s a year after scoring 12 goals in 25 games in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League for Sporting Charleroi.
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