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Victor Osimhen reportedly out after knee surgery, with reports differing on his return

Victor Osimhen is reportedly out up to five weeks after knee surgery, per one journalist, while a Galatasaray insider says the plan is a return for Aston Villa.

Sola Amusan3 min read

The 35-goal Super Eagles striker misses the Tanzania games, and reports disagree on whether he is back for Aston Villa.

The update comes from Turkish sports journalist Ali Naci Küçük, who gave it on the 343 Digital YouTube channel.

Küçük reported that doctors removed a loose fragment from the 27-year-old's left knee in a successful operation on 7 November. Osimhen was hurt in the Champions League win over Stuttgart on 3 November, and Legit.ng reported that he slipped on the turf at Rams Park. Early assessments had suggested a three-week layoff, but newer developments point to a more complicated rehabilitation.

Küçük linked the timeline to the fragment removed from the knee:

"Due to that detached fragment, it seems that Osimhen's return to the field will take up to five weeks."

Küçük also said his condition would be clearer in 10 days. Pulse Nigeria reported that Osimhen will stay in Istanbul to continue his treatment.

Galatasaray insider Emre Kaplan gave a different timeline. Winner Galatasaray quoted him, via LiberoTV, as saying: "Galatasaray's plan is for Osimhen to miss the Samsunspor match but return to action for the Aston Villa match."

Pulse Nigeria, by contrast, reports that he is now expected to miss the domestic games against Samsunspor and Beşiktaş, as well as the Champions League match with Aston Villa on 24 November. The two reports disagree on the Aston Villa game.

The injury also keeps him out of Nigeria's next matches. Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle named a 24-man squad for the Tanzania games without him, and Legit.ng reports that Osimhen is set to miss the November window for the second successive break. Pulse Nigeria called earlier suggestions that he faked injuries to avoid international duty baseless. It also said he has missed five international breaks since joining Galatasaray, four of them because of recurring fitness issues.

Osimhen has scored 35 goals in 45 Super Eagles appearances, according to FotMob as cited by Legit.ng. That is more than Akor Adams, Tolu Arokodare and Taiwo Awoniyi have managed together in 42 appearances, with 10 goals. He is second on Nigeria's all-time scoring chart, two goals behind the late Rashidi Yekini.

Before getting hurt, Osimhen had scored 10 times and provided three assists in 11 games across all competitions this campaign, which made him Galatasaray's leading marksman and top of the Süper Lig goal list, according to SoccerNet.

SoccerNet also reported a radio claim by Nicola Penta, a sports consultant and lawyer with close links to Juventus leadership, that Juventus could pay €30m to €40m upfront for Osimhen in January, with the rest in instalments. SoccerNet described it as one consultant's view, not a club statement.

The club has not yet put out an official announcement that pins down when he will be back.

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