Galatasaray insider Eyüp Yıldız has backed Michy Batshuayi to replace Victor Osimhen, though he admitted the Belgian forward has a weakness.
The 25-year-old striker will miss Thursday‘s Europa League match against Swedish side Malmo due to a muscle injury he suffered in Galatasaray‘s hard-fought win over Sivasspor last weekend.
Manager Okan Buruk will have to do without his star striker, and no official return date has been announced. However, reports suggest the Napoli loanee could be sidelined for at least two weeks.
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Yildiz backs Batshuayi to step up in Osimhen’s absence
Yıldız believes Batshuayi has what it takes to fill the gap but warned that he is not as clinical as Osimhen.
“Osimhen is out for 2 weeks but I trust Batshuayi. He will be effective when he plays as a classic centre forward and not as a link player,” Yıldız told habersarikirmizi.com.“Batshuayi is an effective name in the penalty area and around it. He also has aerial ball superiority. The only problem is that he misses a lot of goals, but Osimhen was missing too.”
This season, Osimhen has netted 10 times in 13 appearances across all competitions. Batshuayi, who has played eight more games—mostly as a substitute—has netted six times.
In the Europa League, the Super Eagles striker has started four of Galatasaray‘s five matches, contributing to five goals (3 goals, 2 assists).
