Galatasaray explains why Osimhen played limited minutes after injury

Galatasaray assistant coach İrfan Saraloğlu has shared why Victor Osimhen played only a short time after returning from injury. The Nigerian striker helped the team by providing an assist in their 3-1 win over Kasimpasa on Friday night.

Osimhen came back to play at Rams Park after healing from an injury he got during Galatasaray’s 3-2 win over Istanbul Başakşehir in September.

The Super Eagles star came off the bench late in the game, replacing Deniz Gul with 13 minutes left. The Turkish champions wanted to make sure they got all three points.

Even with limited time, Osimhen made a quick impact. He set up Gabonese midfielder Mario Lemina for Galatasaray’s third goal just before the end of the match.

But Saraloğlu pointed out that the team's strategy changed after Lucas Torreira was sent off shortly after the hour mark. This made Galatasaray adjust their defense and play more cautiously.

“Our game in the second half changed after the card. We had to hold back a bit, and our balance was disrupted,” he said on Galatasaray’s official website. “I can say that Sanchez was out of the game when the goal came. They scored from that gap.”

The assistant coach also said that bringing Osimhen in late was a planned choice. The club wanted to manage his playtime after being out for a while and avoid risking another injury.

“Osimhen just came back from injury, we had to protect him. We had to protect the players returning from national team duty too,” Saraloğlu added.

Osimhen can feel good about his return, having helped with a goal even though he played only the last 13 minutes of the match.

Before his injury, the former Napoli striker had a great start to the 2026/27 season. He scored six goals and made two assists in four matches against Corum FK, Erzurumspor FK, Göztepe, and Istanbul Başakşehir.

As he gradually gets back to full fitness, Osimhen will aim to regain his match sharpness and build on his early season success as Galatasaray continues their campaign.