Former Turkish football referee Ahmet Çakar has defended Victor Osimhen following Galatasaray’s 4-1 defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, blaming the striker’s struggles on his recent return from injury and the lack of service from his teammates, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

“Osimhen, you know, he could play for any team in the world, he’d be the top scorer in the Premier League,” Çakar said on the Libero TV YouTube channel, according to Habersarikirmizi.

“I didn’t see anything like that in this match. I admit, he’s just recovered from injury, but what kind of performance did the team give him that he should play like that?”

Osimhen played the full 90 minutes at Rams Park on Tuesday but struggled to trouble Barcelona’s defence, repeatedly finding himself caught offside against the visitors’ high defensive line.

His display attracted criticism from fans and pundits, but Çakar argued that the Nigerian international had not received the support needed to make an impact against the Spanish side.

The striker had enjoyed an impressive start to the season before his injury setback, scoring six goals and providing two assists in four league appearances for Galatasaray.

He also contributed an assist in Galatasaray’s 3-1 victory over Kasimpasa after returning from injury, raising hopes that he had regained his sharpness ahead of the Champions League encounter.

However, Osimhen was unable to reproduce that influence against Barcelona, as Galatasaray suffered a heavy home defeat.