Amadou Onana had a debut to remember for Aston Villa and he’s now revealed which of his teammates will be ‘crucial’ this season after the win over West Ham.
Onana arrived at Aston Villa with pressure on his broad shoulders. He was brought in from Everton for £50 million and was tasked to fill the void left behind by Douglas Luiz.
Martin Keown even brandished the decision to sell Luiz for Onana as ‘bonkers’ and it’s fair to say, the Belgian has left the former Arsenal man with egg on his face.
The 22-year-old was a dominant force in midfield as Villa recorded an opening day 2-1 victory over West Ham and it was his powerful header inside four minutes that got the ball rolling.
As a result, Onana was awarded Man of the Match by Sky Sports, capping off what was an incredible debut alongside international teammate Youri Tielemans.
The midfield powerhouse has since named which Villa player he thinks will be crucial for Unai Emery this term and his selection won’t come as a surprise.
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Amadou Onana thinks Jhon Duran will play ‘crucial’ role at Aston Villa
Jhon Duran silenced the home crowd when he came off the bench to score the winner and it just had to be him.
From being heavily linked with a move to West Ham to performing an ‘irons’ gesture on Instagram Live, supporters were left seething over his actions but it’s fair to say, they’ve given him now.
His emphatic finish past Alphonse Areola in the final 10 minutes secured Villa the three points on opening day and following such a dramatic finish to the match, Onana has explained why the 20-year-old will be ‘crucial’ to Emery this season.
Speaking to Sky Sports (17/08/2024 7:41pm), he said of his teammate: “I think Jhon’s going to be a crucial player for us this season. He is a very talented young man. Big, fast, physical. I think he’s definitely committed to his task here and he’s ready to help the team anytime. We are delighted to have him.”
Amadou Onana stats vs West Ham
Onana may have opened the scoring however, his all-round performance was stellar and he hardly put a foot wrong in the middle of the park.
As per Sofascore, the midfield machine completed all but one of his 31 passes (97%) and placed two of his long balls accurately, while he also did his bit defensively.
The Belgian titan won six of his eight ground duels, three aerial duels, completed two interceptions and two tackles, with the 22-year-old proving a complete nuisance to defend against.
Villa fans may have had reservations over whether they’ve replaced Luiz sufficiently but on the evidence of Onana’s first competitive display, he’s going to be a huge hit with the Villa Park faithful.
