'Tired after national team duty' - Turkish pundit urges Galatasaray to give Osimhen a breather

Now Spor commentator Veli Yigit has advised Galatasaray to rest Victor Osimhen for Saturday's Istanbul derby against Basaksehir, insisting the striker needs time to recover following his international commitments with the Super Eagles.

Osimhen was instrumental as Nigeria secured back-to-back wins in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin, featuring for a combined 170 minutes across both fixtures.

The forward did not complete either match, visibly fatigued after his exertions.

When fully fit, the Nigeria international is among the first names on manager Okan Buruk's teamsheet.

The 26-year-old has managed just four starts from a possible ten in all competitions.

With Galatasaray set to face Bodo/Glimt in a crucial UEFA Champions League encounter next week, Yigit believes Osimhen should be given a breather.

"I don't think Osimhen should be in the starting eleven for the Başakşehir match. He's been through a tiring period, he's tired after national team duty," Yigit was quoted as saying by habersarikirmizi.com.

"Plus, Icardi needs to be in the starting eleven to boost his morale.”

Yigit went on to say that Osimhen appears to have put his transfer saga behind him and is now completely focused on performing for Galatasaray.

"I see Osimhen very happy. His complete focus is on Galatasaray. He no longer has thoughts like 'Where will I go?

"What will my contract be like?' These details are important. I expect a performance beyond the top level from him.”

So far this season, Osimhen has directly participated in seven goals (6 goals, 1 assist) in nine appearances for club and country.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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