Everton’s Amadou Onana has admitted that he ‘still wanted to play’ after being subbed off by Belgium boss Roberto Martinez in their latest World Cup clash.
Onana was taken off by the ex-Toffees boss in the 60th minute against Morocco and replaced by Youri Tielemans. The midfielder had already been booked, but feels he had more to offer.
The 2-0 defeat to the African side was the Everton man’s first start at the tournament. In the previous match, where Belgium defeated Canada 1-0, it was Onana who replaced Tielemans at half-time.
When talking about being taken off against Morocco, Onana felt he could’ve played on, but didn’t blame Martinez for the decision.
He stated (via Voetbalprimeur): “I still wanted to play because I felt good. I have played with a yellow card many times in my career. These are the choices of the coach and I don’t blame him.”
TIF Thoughts on Onana’s comments…
We believe that Onana’s attitude is certainly the right one. He clearly loves to play, hence why he reacted that way after being subbed off, but he remained respectful to Martinez for his decision.
Since he joined Everton in the summer from French side Lille, the Belgian has looked like a strong asset to the midfield. He’s in the top 7% for tackles in comparison to other midfielders and in the top 11% for aerial duels won over the last year (as per FBref).
Those stats show that Onana is a hard-working and battling player in the middle of the park for Frank Lampard’s side.
Croatia is Belgium’s final clash of the group stage and a game Belgium need to win if they’re to qualify for the round of 16. Onana and his side will hope it’s not the end of their World Cup campaign.