‘Reminds me of Cavani’: Forward Tottenham and Liverpool missed is ‘like Mbappe’

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Victor Osimhen won’t even turn 22 until December but Napoli’s new number nine is already being compared to three of the finest forwards of the modern era.

Then again, that was always likely to happen when you consider the £63 million goal machine has the leap of Didier Drogba, the ruthless penalty-box poaching of Edinson Cavani and the sheer, devastating pace of Kylian Mbappe.

Lorenzo Insigne has seen some world-class strikers come and go during 14 years at Stadio San Paolo.

But it has taken just half an hour of Serie A football for Osimhen to make a lasting impression on the Napoli captain.

“Victor is an attacker who has great speed, has complementary and different characteristics compared to me and Dries (Mertens) and can represent a different solution for the attack,” Insigne told the club’s official website following a 2-0 win at Parma.

It was a game Osimhen changed in the blink of an eye after coming off the bench in the second half.

“In some places he reminds me of Cavani for his ability to attack the goal and physical strength,” Insigne added.

Osimhen has a long way to go before he can match the exploits of the legendary Uruguayan in powder blue.

But, with his fearsome blend of technical and physical gifts, attitude and ability, Osimhen has everything in his locker to sit alongside Cavani in the pantheon of modern-day Napoli greats.

“I was struck by his speed,” adds Massimo Palanca, who represented the Neapolitan club just before Diego Maradona’s arrival in the mid-1980s (Tuttomercatoweb).

“He seems to me to be a type like Mbappe, with his speed.”

Speaking to SGLR earlier this month, Osimhen’s agent claimed Tottenham and Liverpool did their best to beat Napoli to the signature of a striker who shot to fame during a stunning debut season at Lille, drawing comparisons with another goalscoring great – Didier Drogba.

And with Jose Mourinho bemoaning a lack of attacking depth at Spurs, the sight of Osimhen tearing Parma’s defence to shreds must have hurt.

You would think comparisons with Drogba, Cavani and Mbappe might add pressure to the shoulders of Napoli’s £63 million record signing.

But if Sunday’s showing is anything to go by, Osimhen is unlikely to be dragged down by the weight of expectation.