Faouzi Ghoulam missed training on Tuesday ahead of Napoli’s match with Sassuolo in the Serie A.
The Algerian has struggled for game time in the 2021-22 campaign due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury - appearing in just 11 league matches.
His last appearance for Luciano Spalletti’s men was against Fiorentina on April 10, where he replaced Mario Rui in the 86th minute.
Having missed Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Empoli, the 31-year-old was expected to make a return against the Black and Greens, nonetheless, he did not train with the rest of the squad with Napoli not stating the reasons for that.
“The team met for the resumption of training at the SSC Napoli Konami Training Center with Aurelio De Laurentiis in attendance,” a statement from the Napoli website read.
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“The team after the first phase of activation in the gym moved to the field. The squad that played [against Empoli] left the field while the rest of the group carried out technical work with a finish in goal.
“[Elif] Elmas and [Stanislav] Lobotka played customized on the pitch. Ghoulam did part of the work in a group and part customized in the field.”
With this, Ghoulam looks likely to miss Saturday’s Italian elite division fixture against Alessio Dionisi’s team at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Having failed to win any of their last three matches, the Blues would be eyeing a return to winning ways as they continue their chase for the Serie A diadem.
As things stand, they occupy the third position in the log having garnered 67 points from 34 outings so far.
For Osimhen who is yet to find the net in his last two outings, a goal for him against Sassuolo will see him equal his record of goals scored in a single European league season.
During the 2019-20 season at Lille, Osimhen found the net on 13 occasions - a feat that inspired his move to the Italian elite division. A brace will see the Lagos-born striker eclipse that record.
Impressively, the Super Eagle has been directly involved in six goals (five goals, one assist) in his last five Serie A games.
Also, he is the first Nigerian in history to reach double figures in two different Italian elite division campaigns.
Tammy Abraham (nine) and Osimhen (seven) are the two foreign strikers who have scored the most Serie A goals in 2022.