Almeria star Umar Sadiq has praised the qualities of Victor Osimhen and said he would like to ‘do big things’ for Nigeria with the Napoli forward.
Sadiq has shared the pitch with Osimhen once, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off second leg against Ghana at the Abuja National Stadium back in March.
Although the combination only lasted a few minutes as the Almeria talisman was introduced in the 88th minute of the 1-1 draw, a result which ended Nigeria’s hopes of competing at this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Both players are currently in the Super Eagles squad preparing to begin the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign. Sadiq is hopeful that he and Osimhen can form a strong attacking tandem in Nigeria’s national squad.
“Victor [Osimhen] is a great player,” Sadiq told GOAL when asked about his international teammate. He continued: “As you can see, he has been doing great things for the past two years. He did it in France and now, he is doing it in Italy.
“I can assure you that if I play with Victor, we are going to do big things [for the Super Eagles].”
Sadiq had a remarkable 2021/22 campaign with Almeria in the Spanish Segunda Division. The 25-year-old netted 18 times and added 9 assists to help Los Rojiblancos gain promotion to La Liga. He received the club’s Player of the Year award.
Osimhen, meanwhile, had an impressive campaign of his own at Napoli. With 18 goals, he finished as the club’s top scorer last term. He was also named Best Young Serie A Player of the Season.
The duo will aim to assist Nigeria to get the better of Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe in their first two Group A qualification matches. The Super Eagles will host Sierra Leone at the M.K.O Abiola Stadium on Thursday, June 9, before traveling to Morocco to face Sao Tomé and Principe at the Adrar Stadium four days later.
