'Osimhen hard to catch in open space' - Napoli's Spalletti sings striker's praise after Udinese thrashing

Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti has described Victor Osimhen as a "really strong player" after his display led the team to demolish Udinese 4-0 in a Serie A fixture on Monday.

The Nigeria international scored his first Serie A goal of the season at Stadio Friuli in the 24th minute before Amir Rrahmani netted the second in the 35th minute, and Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute with Hirving Lozano finishing the job in the 84th minute.

Osimhen's goal came just three days after he helped Napoli to snatch a 2-2 draw against Leicester City in the Europa League fixture as he scored a brace at King Power Stadium.

And against Udinese, he opened the scoring after Lorenzo Insigne did most of the work, beating defender Marco Silvestri and then setting up the Nigerian striker, who slotted the ball home.

Spalletti has now praised the 22-year-old Super Eagle for his latest achievement, stating he is really strong and not easy to catch in open space when with the ball.

"Our strength is our environment. We are overwhelmed with love that can become fuel for players," Spalletti told DAZN as quoted by Football Italia.

"We have quality in attack. Victor [Osimhen] is really strong, he lacks quality in tight spaces, but it's hard to catch him in open spaces.

"The wingers are outstanding in one vs. one situations. The road is still long and there are many tough opponents."

On the win which saw the Partenopei move top of the table, Spalletti said: "The team's performance makes me happy, the personality and the commitment we had for the whole match.

"It wasn't only about the attitude, you also need the quality. Look at Insigne, who was able to do that lob while the goalkeeper was running towards him. Look at Lozano's goal or Koulibaly's personality. The team played well tonight."

On whether Napoli can go all the way to win the title, Spalletti said: "The season is still long, but the team has quality.

"Perhaps, we lack those players who can allow us to make substitutions, keeping the team's level high. And we need to be lasting, how many games we can play at this level? This will make the difference.

"Milan are very strong, Inter have worked well despite a couple of big sales. They brought important players in and they have a strong midfield."

Osimhen will hope to continue with his fine run when Napoli travel to face Sampdoria at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on Thursday.