Former Super Eagles assistant coach Acacio Santos has revealed how top striker Victor Osimhen surprised them in a game a day after he had a training ground fight with his teammate Emmanuel Dennis, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Santos worked with Osimhen as an assistant to Jose Peseiro with the Super Eagles and in an interview with Sky Sports largely centered on the future of the 26 year old, which is a trending topic following his decision to turn down a mega money offer from Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal.
Still expected to leave Napoli before the end of this summer transfer window, Osimhen who spent last season on loan to Galatasary where he fired them to the league and cup double has been told to not remain at the club, rather target a move to the English Premier League.
“I respect Galatasaray, of course,” Santos tells Sky Sports. “But Victor deserves to be in the Premier League, where the light would be shining on him”, Santos said.
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He went forward to explain the competitive nature of the forward , who he said is complex to manage due to his insatiable desire of always wanting to win at all times , even during training something which caused a fight with Dennis before the Super Eagles game against Sao Tome and Principe in the AFCON qualifiers.
“One day before the game, Vitor had a bit of a fight with Emmanuel Dennis in a seven-against-seven exercise. This player was relaxing a little bit, a bit chilled. This was normal because there was a game the next day. But Victor wanted more. He was so demanding”, the coach said.
“We were a little bit surprised by his attitude. It was good. We liked it. But we thought he should calm down, maybe. The next day, he scored four goals.” They came in what was a record-breaking 10-0 victory over Sao Tome and Principe in the summer of 2023.
“After scoring his four goals, suddenly we had a penalty. Everybody expected Victor to grab the ball for the fifth. The poker. But no, Victor gave the ball to Dennis, the team-mate he had fought with the day before who had never scored for the national team.
“This is an example that tells you a lot about Victor Osimhen. Instead of having five goals, he preferred to give his team-mate his first goal. Others like to talk in the dressing room. Victor is a leader through his behaviour, through his work, through his example.”
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
