Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr is confident that highly-rated Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen has the qualities to succeed in the English Premier League but warned that the Lille striker must be calmer with his conduct on the field, NationSport can report.
The 21-year-old has been strongly linked with a summer move to Manchester United after scoring 18 goals in all competitions for his French side before the forced break due to the outbreak of the deadlyConvi-19 pandemic.
“If he stays humble, he can play for Manchester United – I’m sure,” Rohr said during a live Instagram chat with Nigerian journalist Colin Udoh. “He has already overcome some difficult situations at Wolfsburg – he starts again, in a small club Charleroi where he showed that he can fight and comeback at the highest level.
“He has all the qualities but needs to be a lot cooler and avoid confrontations with opponents and the referees especially when things are not going in his favour. So, he needs to be calm and can be a great goals corer in the premier league.”
Osimhen was part of Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles squad that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) although he featured in just a game.
Speaking to RMC Sport, 39-year-old French goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau admitted that he was not surprised with the exploits of the Nigeria having played alongside him at Belgian side Charleroi.
“He (Osimhen) does not surprise me. When I discovered him, when he arrived, two clubs refused to take him because of little physical problems. In the first training sessions, we saw that this was a player of a different class. I told him when he arrived at Lille but for me he is maybe the future Drogba of the French league,” said Penneteau.
He added: “If he stays for at least two seasons, he will score goal after goal. He has all the qualities of a modern attacker. He is fast, he jumps high, he is strong in duels, good with the ball, he plays deep. He will overcome his little imperfections by playing, he is a phenomenon. (The Nation)
