Mihajlovic: ‘Osimhen shifts the balance even more than Lukaku’

Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic highlighted Victor Osimhen as the biggest threat when his team travel to Napoli on Thursday. ‘He shifts the balance even more than Romelu Lukaku’.

The Nigerian continues to impress with the Azzurri and the Rossoblu coach admitted the 22-year-old appears to be stronger than he first expected upon his arrival in Serie A.

Osimhen showed glimpses of what he was capable of during last season, but definitely went through a difficult 2020-21 due to injuries and coronavirus.

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But the former LOSC Lille striker has excelled under Luciano Spalletti this term and Mihajlovic has pointed at the obvious threat he brings ahead of the game at the Stadio Diego Maradona tomorrow.

This season, Osimhen has scored nine goals in 11 competitive games, including five in eight Serie A games.

Mihajlovic feels the Nigeria international is starting to justify the price-tag Napoli paid for him and compared him to former Inter attacker Romelu Lukaku.

“He shifts the balance even more than Lukaku,” Mihajlovic said at a press conference. “What do they eat in Naples?

“He seems like he has an engine. He’s ‘ignorant’, but in the good sense of the word. He runs, opens the game, restarts, scores.

“He’s really strong, but I didn’t expect this much. It’s also true that they paid €70m for him.”

Bologna are ninth in Serie A ahead of the match and during the press conference Mihajlovic revealed Marko Arnautovic is in doubt ahead of the game in Naples.