‘Osimhen is the best striker in Italy’ – Ex-Napoli manager says Super Eagles star better than Inter’s Martinez, Roma’s Abraham

The Nigerian youngster scored eight goals for club and country in September and won the player of the month award in the Italian top flight

Retired Italian manager Gianni Di Marzio has praised Victor Osimhen as the best striker in the Italian Serie A. The former Napoli and Catanzaro coach believes the Nigerian star is better than Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham.

Despite the departure of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the Italian top-flight still retains some of the world’s best strikers, including 2021 Copa America champion Martinez and Champions League winner Abraham.

Martinez scored 17 goals in 38 games to help Inter Milan lift the league title last term, and the Argentine forward has already found the back of the net five times in six league matches this campaign.

On the other hand, Englishman Abraham completed a €40 million move from Chelsea to Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the summer and has hit the ground running with two goals in seven appearances.

But Di Marzio, father of Sky Sports’ transfer market expert Gianluca Di Marzio, does not doubt that the Serie A’s best forward plays for Napoli.

“At the moment, Osimhen is the best striker in Italy,” the ex-Catania coach told Radio Marte, as per TuttoNapoli.

“Lautaro Martinez? Excellent player, but Osimhen, in addition to scoring goals, works for the whole team, even if in the goal area he hurts you.

“Abraham? In the finalization phase, he was unlucky, but he is a Brazilian in the penalty area. Technically and physically, he is very strong.

The accolades have not been flowing in Osimhen’s direction for no reason.

Aside from hitting the target thrice for Napoli in the Europa League, the 22-year-old scored four Serie A goals in September and was a handful for defenders from Florence to Udine.

The former Lille lad’s brilliance was recently rewarded with Serie A’s player of the month, his first award since his club-record switch to Italy last year.

Meanwhile, ex-Milan star Ariedo Braida believes Osimhen torments his opponents much like legendary Liberia forward George Weah.

However, the current General Manager of Cremonese is convinced that the best of the Super Eagles star will be seen when he improves his technique.

“The comparison between Osimhen and Weah is not risky even if he is technically less clean,” Braida told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli, as per TuttoNapoli.

“He has to work on the technique because he already has speed while the technique can be learned over time.

“If he improves in this, he can really explode, but I am convinced that by working with someone like Spalletti, he will make the leap in quality.”

Osimhen is presently in Douala, Cameroon, where the Super Eagles are preparing for their World Cup qualifying matchday four meeting with the Central African Republic.

The Napoli star missed a couple of chances, hit the crossbar, and was far from his clinical best as Nigeria fell to an embarrassing 1-0 home defeat to the same opponents on Thursday.