Victor Osimhen has not reached full fitness and that was why he strayed offside on a number of occasions, according to Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti.
Osimhen came off the bench to score in a UEFA Champions League home tie against Ajax Wednesday night after a month sidelined by injury.
“Osimhen was often offside because he was so eager that he started the runs early,” Spalletti explained.
“He is not yet in the right shape to help out his teammates, but we tried to keep the ball more in the second half and use Osimhen’s ability in the air for long balls.”
Napoli have qualified for the knockout rounds of the Champions League after they won their first four group games.
They are also top of Serie A.