‘We had to protect him’ – Galatasaray assistant coach reacts after Osimhen sets up goal on return

According to a report by Daily Post on Saturday October 10, 2026, Galatasaray assistant coach İrfan Saraloğlu has explained the decision to limit Victor Osimhen’s playing time after the Nigerian striker returned from injury during the club’s 3-1 victory over Kasimpasa on Friday night.

Osimhen, who sustained an injury during Galatasaray’s 3-2 win over Istanbul Başakşehir in September, was introduced in the second half as the Turkish champions looked to secure all three points at Rams Park.

The former Napoli striker replaced Deniz Gul in the closing stages of the encounter and made an immediate impact by providing an assist for Mario Lemina’s late goal.

However, Saraloğlu revealed that Galatasaray were keen to manage Osimhen’s workload carefully following his return from the sidelines.

Speaking after the match, the assistant coach also discussed the impact of Lucas Torreira’s sending-off, which forced Galatasaray to adjust their approach during the second half.

“Our game in the second half, after the card, we retreated a bit, our balance was disrupted, but I can say that Sanchez was out of the game when the goal came. They scored from that gap,” Saraloğlu said, as quoted by the club’s official website.

Explaining Osimhen’s late introduction, Saraloğlu stressed that the club did not want to take unnecessary risks with players returning from injury or international duty.

“Osimhen just came back from injury, we had to protect him. We had to protect the players returning from national team duty,” he added.

Osimhen will be encouraged by his productive return, having contributed directly to Galatasaray’s third goal despite his limited minutes on the pitch.

The Nigerian international had enjoyed an impressive start to the 2026/2027 campaign before his injury, scoring six goals and providing two assists across four matches against Corum FK, Erzurumspor FK, Göztepe and Istanbul Başakşehir.

His return provides a significant boost for Galatasaray as they look to maintain their momentum, although the club is expected to remain cautious as the striker works towards regaining full match fitness.

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