Galatasaray assistant coach, İrfan Saraloğlu has spoken about Victor Osimhen’s return from injury following the Nigerian striker’s contribution to the club’s 3-1 victory over Kasimpasa on Friday evening.
The Nigerian international, who suffered an injury during Galatasaray’s 3-2 victory over Istanbul Başakşehir in September, was introduced in the second half of the match.
The former Napoli forward replaced Deniz Gul with 13 minutes remaining as Galatasaray sought to secure the win at Rams Park.
Osimhen, who created several scoring opportunities after coming on, provided an assist for the team’s final goal, scored by Gabonese midfielder Mario Lemina in the closing stages of the match.
Following the match, Saraloğlu disclosed that Galatasaray’s performance declined after Lucas Torreira was sent off in the 65th minute.
“During the second half, following the dismissal, we became more defensive, and our tactical structure was compromised.
“However, I must note that Sanchez was out of position when the goal was conceded. They capitalised on that space,” he stated, according to Galatasaray’s official website.
The Galatasaray assistant coach also explained the reason for introducing Osimhen late in the match, emphasising that the club prioritised preventing a recurrence of his injury.
“Osimhen has only recently recovered from injury, so we needed to manage his workload carefully. We also had to consider the welfare of players returning from international commitments,” he added.
Osimhen will be pleased with his comeback from injury and will aim to maintain his impressive form throughout the 2026/2027 season.
Before his injury, the Nigerian forward had scored six goals and provided two assists in four matches against Corum FK, Erzurumspor FK, Göztepe and Istanbul Başakşehir.