Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk has explained why he did not feature Victor Osimhen in the club’s opening Super Lig match last weekend.

The 26-year-old striker was missing in action as Galatasaray began their title defense with a blistering 3–0 victory over Gaziantep.

Barış Yılmaz scored twice from the penalty spot, while Eren Elmalı added a third to seal a convincing win for the Yellow and Reds.

Despite training with the rest of the squad, Osimhen was left out of the traveling party for the trip to Gaziantep.

Explaining his decision to omit the Super Eagles forward, Buruk cited the risk of fielding the former African Footballer of the Year after only a few days of training with the team.

“Osimhen had a five- or six-day training period,” Buruk said, as reported by CNN Türk.

“Playing here during that period could have been risky for him. I spoke to him about this. He said he was thinking of resting up for this match and at least getting some playing time for the next one.”

WDN