Napoli manager, Walter Mazzarri has said Victor Osimhen is not hundred percent ready for action.
Osimhen returned to training on Friday after his participation in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 25-year-old was not included in the matchday squad as Napoli battled to a 1-1 draw against Genoa on Saturday.
The striker is focused on training to rediscover his fitness after playing seven games in one month in Cote d’Ivoire.
Mazzarri confessed that the talismanic forward is not fully fit and it would have been risky to play him against Genoa.
“According to him and the medics, he was down to his last legs. He had a series of muscular issues and it would’ve been madness to play him here for 15 minutes and then risk losing him for months,” Mazzarri said after the game.
“It was wise, as the player himself agreed, to rest better and hope he can be ready for Barcelona. I say hope because I barely ever worked with Osimhen due to injuries and the Africa Cup of Nations, he was never in shape.”
Napoli will host Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 contest at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Tuesday.
