Buruk reveals what Galatasaray missed in Osimhen’s absence – “He could have easily scored 2-3 goals”

Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk has revealed what his side missed about Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen in their narrow 1-0 win over Kocaelispor on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 27-year-old was a major absentee from the encounter as he continues his recovery from a groin and adductor injury he picked up in last weekend’s 3-2 win over Istanbul Basaksehir in the Turkish Super Lig.

Osimhen had scored Galatasaray’s opening goal in that encounter before he was substituted before half-time after he could no longer continue.

The Nigerian forward also missed Galatasaray’s 3-1 defeat to Sporting CP in midweek in their Champions League opener for the season and subsequently sat out the narrow win over Kocaelispor.

A stunning strike from Abdulkerim Bardakci in the 71st minute sealed maximum points for Galatasaray as they maintained their unbeaten start to the season in their title defence and moved back to the top of the standings.

Buruk reveals Osimhen quality that was missed

Osimhen has scored six goals and provided two assists in four games for Galatasaray this season, starting the campaign in superb fashion. His absence was greatly felt against Kocaelispor as Galatasaray struggled to break down their opponents for much of the game before eventually finding a way through.

Speaking after the match, Buruk revealed that his side missed Osimhen’s predatory instinct inside the box and believes the Nigerian striker could have made a big difference in front of goal.

According to the Galatasaray coach, Osimhen could easily have scored two or three goals from the chances his side created.

“Of course, Osimhen's presence is a strength for us, and his being on the field is also a psychological boost. It's a strength for my players”, Buruk said, via Forza Cimbom.

“Playing with him is, of course, very different. Today, there were positions where, if he had been there, he could have easily scored 2-3 goals, but in his absence, Deniz's performance was also good despite it being his first match.

“We become much stronger with him, and when he's not there, we're still strong because we have strong players, but of course, we always feel his absence there.”

Osimhen has now missed two games due to the injury and could be in contention to return for Galatasaray’s next clash against Trabzonspor.

Buruk also confirmed that the Nigerian could feature in the encounter if he is able to recover in time.

“We'll assess the chances of Osimhen and Lemina making it to the Trabzonspor match. If we can get them fit, of course we'll field a stronger squad.”

The Super Eagles striker will now continue working towards full recovery as he looks to regain his fitness in time for the Trabzonspor clash and help Galatasaray continue their title defence.