Napoli send Osimhen well wishes

The Nigerian international turns 23 on Wednesday, and his Italian employers were among the first to wish him well

Italian Serie A side Napoli FC have taken to one of their official social media accounts to offer Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen well wishes on his 23rd birthday.

“Happy birthday, Victor Osimhen,” Napoli tweeted on their official Twitter account. 

The message comes at a time when the striker and his club are believed to be heading towards a clash of principles.

Osimhen, recovering from surgery, is keen on participating in the Africa Cup of Nations next month. But Napoli want him to be healed of his wounds, as per the doctors' instructions, before returning to the football pitch. 

Osimhen, born on December 29th, 1998, is presently in Nigeria to celebrate the festive season with friends and family before he returns to Naples on Friday to undergo a CT scan.

The medical checkup results could see the youngster made available for or ruled out of the 2021 Afcon. 

Osimhen grew up in the rough and tough parts of Lagos State, Nigeria, before his football career kicked off when he was selected to the national U-17 team.

He reached the peak with the Golden Eaglets as his tournament-high ten goals powered the team to win the 2015 U-17 World Cup. He also won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards at the championship.

After spells at Wolfsburg, Sporting Charleroi, and Lille, Osimhen moved to Napoli last year for a club and African record fee.

At the international level, the youngster narrowly missed the Nigerian squad to the 2018 FIFA World Cup after an indifferent season in Germany.

But he was a member of the Gernot Rohr-led side that finished in third place at the 2019 Afcon in Egypt.