Osimhen, Ligue 1’s Breakout Star Of The Season

Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen as been named among the LFP’s five breakout stars of the just concluded season, Soccernet.ng reports.

The youngster was an unknown quantity in France when Lille shelled €12 million to sign him from Sporting Charleroi last summer.

Osimhen had just completed a decent campaign for the Belgian side, where he netted 12 goals in 25 Jupiler Pro League games.

Those were not super numbers that could raise eyebrows on the continent, especially for a young forward who struggled at Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.

But with his confidence restored after his fine spell in Belgium, Osimhen hit the ground running in France, scoring twice on his Ligue 1 debut in a 3-0 defeat of Saint Etienne.

Eleven more goals in all competitions for Les Dogues followed before Christmas, to set tongues waggling of his ability across France and suitors scrambling for his attention across Europe.

However, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) was compelled to prematurely bring an end to the 2019/20 Ligue 1 & Ligue 2 seasons.

The decision denied Osimhen the chance to fight for the Ligue top scorer award. Only PSG’s Kylian Mbappé, Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, and Lyon’s Moussa Dembélé managed more than the 21-year-old’s 13 goals in the league.

It is this excellent displays that have guided the LFP in picking Osimhen, as well as Stade Rennes’ Eduardo Camavinga, AS Monaco’s Aurélien Tchouaméni, PSG’s Tanguy Kouassi, and Dijon’s Stephy Mavididi as the league’s most excellent youngsters of the just-concluded campaign.

The striker may not, however, remain in France for much longer as the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea are interested in securing the signature of the target man.

An unnamed club is believed to have lodged a bid that could make the Super Eagles striker the most expensive African footballer in history.