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Beşiktaş head coach Vincenzo Italiano has explained his decision to hand Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi his second start of the season in Thursday’s UEFA Europa League clash against Hoffenheim.
Ndidi was named in Beşiktaş’s starting XI for the encounter as Italiano rotated his midfield options.
The Nigerian midfielder’s inclusion came after he had largely been used as a substitute earlier in the campaign.
Explaining his decision to start Ndidi against Hoffenheim, Italiano made it clear that the selection was not related to a technical or tactical change.
Instead, the Beşiktaş manager said the Nigerian deserved an opportunity to gain more minutes on the pitch.
“This isn’t a technical or tactical issue. We need to involve Ndidi as well; he deserves playing time. That’s why I gave him playing time,” Italiano said, as quoted by A Spor.
The Italian coach also explained that he needed to manage the workload of his midfielders, particularly Salih Özcan, who had already featured in several matches this season.
With more fixtures ahead, Italiano considered the Europa League encounter an opportunity to give Ndidi a chance to contribute from the start.
“Salih has also played a lot of matches this season, and we have many more matches ahead.
“That’s why I gave Ndidi a chance. Ndidi is a high-level, good player. He needs playing time today. I think he will do well,” he added.
Ndidi’s start against Hoffenheim was his second for Beşiktaş in all competitions this season.
His first came against Alanyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig on August 23, while Thursday’s appearance marked his first start in the Europa League this campaign.
The Super Eagles captain featured for 90 minutes before being replaced by Ümit Akdağ in stoppage time as Beşiktaş secured a 3-2 victory over Hoffenheim in the Europa League.
