Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen has been granted compassionate leave by Lille following the death of his dad.
Osimhen’s father, Patrick Osimhen, passed away in May at the age of 80 in Lagos after a brief illness and the striker has been in the country since then.
According to Lille manager Christophe Galtier, the Nigerian striker is the only player who has not resumed pre-season with the club.
“Everyone is here. Timothy Weah, who returns from injury, has a week of tests, as does Yusuf Yazici who is in an evaluation phase following his return,” he said.
The manager explained that the Nigeria international forward was excused from the Mastiffs’ squad on compassionate ground Lille boss Christophe Galtier has explained that Victor Osimhen’s absence from the Mastiffs’ pre-season camp is due to https://t.co/SpEHzO5GMi
— Badejo Olusegun (@dekunleachiever) June 18, 2020
“The only person missing the call is Victor Osimhen, who had the misfortune of losing his father during this terrible period and who has not been able to be close to his family.
“So we decided, with the club, to leave him with his family for the funeral. He is therefore absent for a few days.
“I send to him, like all of LOSC, my full support in this difficult period.”
The Osimhen family has not announced burial plans for their 80-year-old patriarch who died after a brief illness.
Osimhen had a very close relationship with his dad who raised him as a single parent after the player’s mum, Christiana died in October 2011.
Osimhen was Lille’s top scorer in the 1019-20 Ligue 1 season, scoring 13 goals and providing four assists in 27 appearances.
He was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Month for September and helped Lille to finish fourth in the league table.
Osimhen played a part in Nigeria’s third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, managing only 45 minutes of football in the tournament.
