Galatasaray’s head coach Okan Buruk remains optimistic that Victor Osimhen will recover in time for their crucial Champions League clash against Liverpool later this month, despite the striker still experiencing ankle discomfort, according to Soccernet.ng.
The Nigerian forward has been out of action since sustaining an ankle injury during international duty against Rwanda on September 6.
Medical scans identified a ligament strain accompanied by internal bleeding, which sidelined him for recent matches, including the heavy 5-1 European defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Coach Buruk has now provided the most encouraging update yet, revealing that Osimhen is gradually progressing towards full fitness.
“He participated in part of the training session,” Buruk told Milliyet.
“He still experiences some minor pain, but if he can manage it and perform, we hope to have him available for our next game. We will continue to monitor him during training. He played for 10 minutes yesterday, and although the pain persists, it’s manageable.
“We anticipate including him in the squad for the Alanyaspor fixture and expect him to be ready for the Liverpool encounter.”
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Ranked as Nigeria and Galatasaray’s top-rated player in the recently released EA Sports FC 26, Osimhen returned to full team training on Sunday for the first time since his injury, gradually increasing his playing time.
Nevertheless, Turkish outlets report that the 26-year-old striker will undergo another MRI scan to confirm his readiness for competitive action.
Osimhen missed Galatasaray’s recent league victory over Konyaspor and is expected to come off the bench against Alanyaspor on Friday, as the club remains cautious ahead of the high-stakes Liverpool match at RAMS Park on September 30.
Osimhen’s return would provide a significant lift for the Turkish titleholders, who are eager to recover from their recent heavy loss to Frankfurt. Having already scored twice in three appearances this season, he remains their most potent attacking threat.
Buruk understands the importance of fielding a full-strength squad against the Premier League giants. The atmosphere at RAMS Park is expected to be electric, and Galatasaray will need Osimhen firing on all cylinders to make a strong statement in Group A.
With Liverpool maintaining an unbeaten record in the Premier League this season, they pose the sternest challenge yet for the Turkish side.
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