Former Watford striker Troy Deeney has stated that Galatasaray deeply felt the absence of Victor Osimhen during their 1-0 home defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League clash at Rams Park.

Belgian champions Union SG sealed the win through a second-half strike from Promise David after a cagey first half ended goalless.

Osimhen, who has been out with a hamstring injury suffered during Nigeria's defeat to DR Congo in the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs in Morocco, has now missed Galatasaray's last two matches against Gençlerbirliği and Union SG.

Speaking on CBS Sports while analyzing the match, Deeney stressed the enormous impact of Osimhen's absence.

"Victor Osimhen you can't underplay just how important he is to the team," he said.  

"Yes you have got Lemina and other players who add certain elements. I am talking about him as one of the top five strikers in world football currently."

Deeney added that Galatasaray lack a like-for-like replacement when Osimhen is unavailable.

"You're in this position and you lose that, you don't have somebody that you can pull from the bench or the youth team." 

"So with Osimhen they lose a big part, they need to get him back as quickly as possible for momentum and moving forward," he added. 

Osimhen has been in explosive form in the Champions League, scoring six goals in three matches to sit atop the competition's scoring chart. 

His brilliance has inspired the Turkish champions to victories over Liverpool, Bodo/Glimt, and Ajax, while both of their losses, against Eintracht Frankfurt and Union SG, have come without him.

Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk will hope the Nigerian star returns in time for their fiercely anticipated league derby against Fenerbahçe as the Yellow-Reds aim to regain momentum.

Adeyemi Adewale