Former captain and coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Sunday Oliseh has explained the aspect of Victor Osimhen which is better than that of legendary Super Eagles forward and time top scorer Rashidi Yekini.
Oliseh played with Yekini at senior level and was asked about his opinion on who Osimhen reminds him off owing to how he has performed so far both at Napoli and the senior national team of Nigeria.
Without mincing words, Oliseh said the obvious name that Osimhen who is powering Napoli to the league title with 21 goals in 23 games reminds him of is Yekini. He said there is however one side of his game that stands him out from other Nigerian strikers.
He however said Osimhen is the closest replacement to Yekini Nigeria have had in the past few years, describing other strikers who have played for the team in the same role in the past as nothing close to the directness of Yekini.
*Osimhen is Rashidi Yekini in a kind of a way , he beats gangling in way , there is something he does better than Rashidi, which is very rare by Nigerian striker. That is the aerial ball, every time I send the ball to Rashidi to head especially when I started to get to know him. I will send it for him to head it”, he told the athlst podcast.
“The man will jump even higher than I sent it. He loves to keep it down on his chest and finish. Initially I didn’t understand then I understood one thing as we started training together, he doesn’t trust his heading so much. So he doesn’t know if he can put it well. He prefers to bring it down and his finishing with his feet, inside, outside or instep very good.
“Now if you look at Osimhen, what I like about him is that since Rashidi stopped for the national team. Our potency upfront just dropped and the strikers we brought in to play the number 9 are the ones that are struggling or like to play with their back to goal and not very direct like Rashidi”, he explained.
Damian Waziri
