Nigeria winger Henry Onyekuru has revealed he was not keen on a move to French Ligue 1 club, AS Monaco last summer.
Onyekuru joined Monaco on a permanent deal from Everton after impressing during his loan stint at Turkish club Galatasaray.
The 22-year-old struggled for regular playing time and made only four appearances for Monaco before rejoining Galatasaray on loan in January.
“I didn’t get a work permit in Everton and my head wasn’t there either. I had no plans to go to Monaco; this was not a planned move,”Onyekuru told SporxEksta.
“I was about to return to Galatasaray after the African Cup, but the Everton sporting director called me and said he had found a new club for me.
“They (Everton) were having talks in Turkey; they told me that it was impossible for me to go there on loan twice.
Read Also: Ndidi, Iheanacho, Leicester Teammates Restate Commitment To Club’s Future Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
“I knew they wanted me to go to Monaco. There was no other choice but to go. I didn’t want to force it, cause a crisis.
“I could return to Everton and practice alone and I didn’t want that. It was not my decision to go to Monaco; I wanted to return to Galatasaray.”
The former Anderlecht player also opened up on life under Leonardo Jardim.
“Things did not go as planned in Monaco. I had problems with Jardim,”he added.
“He told me that after my second match, he switched to a system with two strikers and no winger. My normal position, the left wing, was no longer needed. He asked me to keep calm and work.”
3 Comments
Attitude….!
That’s this kid’s biggest problem looking at his career so far IMHO.
Talents doesn’t determine your altitude…. attitude does.
In this age of increasing dynamism in the game of football, you are still stuck up on playing only on 1 position ..??? So if another coach comes to Galatasaray today and abandons wing play for a more direct tactics, you will insist on “My normal position, the left wing”….???
I hope it wouldn’t be too late by the time he realises what harm he’s doing his career.
@Dr Drey… U didn’t understand the guy’s points. He didn’t mean he’s unwilling to play in a different position, but it was the manager’s decision to change tactics and not involve him totally. The lad is cool from the much I know about him.
Hmmmnnnn…Dr Drey! Maybe you are right.