Norway manager Ståle Solbakken has warned defender Leo Østigård he risks seeing his development stunted after struggling for gametime at Napoli following his move from Brighton in the summer.
The international boss was speaking to TV 2 after his side took on Spain over the weekend, a game in which Østigård was handed a starting role.
That is something he hasn’t enjoyed at Napoli since joining the Italian club in the summer in a €5m move from Brighton.
He had been with the Seagulls since a move from Molde in August 2018 but spent the years in between on various loan deals away from the club.
The most successful of those was at Genoa last season, where he established himself as a key player and caught Napoli’s eye, who brought him in after selling Kalidou Koulibaly.
He’s barely featured for the Serie A side this season, though, making just eight appearances in all competitions and 499 minutes of action in total.
That’s not what he would have imagined when he departed Brighton, and Solbakken admits it is a problem for him.
“Leo has made enormous progress during his time in Italy, first in Genoa last season and now in Napoli,” TV 2 report him saying.
“There are advantages and disadvantages, but it cannot continue with 15-20 minutes of playing time if he is to take the next step.
“I understand that he wants to be part of Napoli, who can win the title for the first time since Maradona’s days, but he needs to get more playing time. Otherwise, development will stop.”
