Frank Onyeka can’t hide his excitement after making his debut appearance for Brentford against Manchester United at the Old Trafford on Wednesday.
The Nigeria international took the place of Max Haygarth in the 61st minute.
“It was good to get my first minutes, it was amazing playing in Old Trafford, I watched Old Trafford on television and I got to play [there on Wednesday]. It was pretty and a good experience for me as well,”Onyeka stated in his maiden interview with the club’s website.
“[The match] was pretty intense and the pace of the game was high, it was really fast. At some point, it was difficult to get along but that is how it is in the Premier League.”
Read Also: Belgian Jupiler: Dessers Bags Assist Again, Onuachu Not Listed As Genk Lose In Seven-Goal Thriller
The 23-year-old linked up with Brentford from Danish club FC Midtylland this month and will compete with some of the game’s best midfielders when the 2021/22 Premier League starts on August 14.
One player Onyeka adores so much is Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante, the man he picked as his favourite player.
“I do of course watch the Premier League, one of the best leagues in the world, I watch Premier League back home and I’ve been following the Premier League all these years.
“I’ll say Kante [is my favourite player] but before he moved to Leicester City I followed Yaya Toure but now it is more of Kante. Toure was amazing, good on the ball, the way he played his own football was amazing, a box-to-box midfielder.
“I think it is more of Kante now because I watch him a lot. The way he plays is pretty amazing. I have never seen a midfielder like him. But he is different, I am different. He is Kante, I am Frank so we are different. I play my own way, he plays his own way.”
1 Comment
Are we about to witness a true challenger to Wilfred Ndidi in the Super Eagles?
The Leicester City defensive midfielder’s starting position for Nigeria has been immutable thus far. But should Frank Onyeka reveal an alternative interpretation to that role in the English Premier League next season for Brentford, then he will surely knock hard on Super Eagles door in a manner threatening to Ndidi.
He already has a cap against Algeria. But at that time, many thought of Onyeka as lightweight.
In fact many concluded, rather prematurely I might add, that Frank Onyeka wasn’t Super Eagles material.
It remains to be seen how coach Thomas Frank will eventually deploy him in the English Premier League.
The initial plan though is to to employ Frank Onyeka as a number 8 center midfielder.
“Frank plays as an eight in our system, he is very good at getting from box to box and will be valuable to us when we don’t have the ball,” Said Brentford coach Thomas Frank recently.
“He has come from the Danish league and was one of the best midfield players in that league; we think he has the potential to develop further.
“All the coaches here are looking forward to working with Frank and pushing him to a higher level.” He concluded.
The Super Eagle slotted seamlessly when he came on against Manchester United in this recent friendly. He will be hoping to help Brentford stay afloat in the English Premier League.