Francesco Calzona admits it has taken time for Victor Osimhen to regain his form after a ‘draining’ Africa Cup of Nations.
The 25-year-old striker played almost every minute of his side’s AFCON campaign as Nigeria reached the final, where they lost 2-1 to hosts Ivory Coast.
Upon his return, Osimhen sat out of the 1-1 Serie A draw with Genoa but scored on his return to action in the 1-1 draw with Cagliari before netting a hat-trick and providing an assist in the 6-1 defeat of Sassuolo on Wednesday night.
Speaking after the match, Calzona admitted that Osimhen was looking sharp after over a month away from the team, as he helped Napoli to 40 points on the league standings in ninth place.
The head coach said on Nigeriasoccernet: “Osimhen is getting back to his best and that’s clear to see.
“The Africa Cup of Nations is incredibly draining both mentally and physically and he needed to get into top shape again.”