The Nigerian striker is gradually becoming a terror for opposing defences in Europe as well as in Africa with his national team boss believing that the youngster is not even close to his best yet.
Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has added his voice in support of many fans who see Victor Osimhen as the new great hope of Nigerian football, with the German-born tactician impressed with the progress the Lille striker has made in just 24 months.
Osimhen burst into limelight by scoring 10 times in just nine games to help Nigeria win the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup and soon after secured a deal that took him to Wolfsburg. But despite his struggles at the German club, Rohr handed him a callup to the national side in 2006 upon his resumption as Super Eagles head coach.
The 20-year-old saw his fortunes turn around for the better on loan at Sporting Charleroi where he banged in 19 goals in 34 games in Belgium.
His blazing start to life in France then pushed him ahead of the queue to take over the Super Eagles striking position vacated by the retired Odion Ighalo after Nigeria had won the bronze medal at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Osimhen has seized the opportunity with both hands and with four goals in his last four starts for Nigeria, coach Gernot Rohr is confident that the youngster’s talents can see him become better than any striker Nigeria has ever seen.
“Yes, I took him already in my first match, remember,” Rohr said to ESPN as monitored by Soccernet.ng.
“Everybody was surprised. He was 17 when I selected him in August 2016.
“He was in Germany and unlucky with injury, and then he fought very well to come back.
“And now I have very good information on him from Lille. He is progressing, and also I saw him progressing for seven weeks before and during the Afcon. Also, we had Ighalo, so he could not play so much, but then in the last match he did well and he showed all the progress he did.
“He is working well. There is no secret. When you work well and you have the talent and you stay humble, you can succeed and he can even improve because he is still very young.”
It can be recalled that Osimhen scored two goals and supplied the assists for the other two as the Super Eagles walloped Lesotho 4-2 in Maseru on Sunday.
