“The duo worked very well” – Galatasaray coach bemoans Icardi absence despite Osimhen’s brace against Samsunspor

Galatasaray head coach, Okan Buruk, has revealed his side missed Argentina striker, Mauro Icardi in their 3-2 win over Samsunspor despite a brace from Victor Osimhen, Soccernet.ng reports.

Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan from Napoli in September, and quickly formed a partnership with Icardi in attack, dismantling opposition teams in the Turkish Super Lïg.

The pair started in Buruk’s lineup when they faced Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Europa League last Thursday, but the Argentine striker went off in the 85th, following a damage to his anterior cruciate ligament.

In Icardi’s absence today, Osimhen scored a brace before Michy Batshuayi came off the bench to score Galatasaray’s third against Samsunspor this evening, but Buruk highlighted his side struggled without their captain despite sealing all three points at RAMS Park.

“Icardi’s injury upset us psychologically. We looked for him on the field. His value is more apparent when players are not on the field. The Osimhen-Icardi duo did great things. Icardi will hopefully return very strong next year.

He will most likely make it to next season’s camp. There is no such thing as a contract freeze. We evaluate the number of foreign players according to when he returns. It is a difficult injury, the Turkish manager said in quotes revealed by Forza CimBom.

In the same vein, Batshuayi wished Icardi a quick recovery.

“There is a very nice environment here. Matches are won not only by the quality of the team, but also by the good agreement of the players. Icardi is loved by all of us both on and off the field. We wish him to return as strong as possible,” the Ex-Borussia Dortmund man added.

Galatasaray are currently top of the Turkish Super Lïg and have won all of their last six games across all competitions.

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.

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