Former Ajax winger Andy van der Meijde has slammed Everton and Leeds United target Noa Lang for arguing with his teammates in the Bruge derby, with the pundit comparing the winger’s attitude to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Speaking to Veronica Inside via SoccerNews, the 43-year-old likened Lang’s off-the-field problems to that of his former teammate Ibrahimovic, with the Swedish attacker a figure who was not afraid to take on teammates if they did not please him in training or on the pitch.
Van der Meijde said: “I’ve had him in the car once. He’s a very sweet boy. He is who he is and it doesn’t matter to him. He doesn’t care about anything; he just does his own thing. It is also a trait, because Zlatan Ibrahimovic had that too. I also disapprove of this behavior, let that be clear.”
Linked with a £25m move to the Premier League amid interest from Everton and Leeds as reported by Calciomercato, Lang’s behaviour has been a major talking point in both the Belgian and Dutch footballing scene, with the attacker seemingly gaining something of an ego.
A fine attacker who could have won a move to a bigger club by now, Lang is at risk of throwing his reputation away with episodes of in-fighting with his teammates, with the youngster now being compared to Ibrahimovic in a way very few actually want to be likened with.
Indeed, whilst Lang is yet to reach the levels of ego Ibrahimovic has hit, the winger is in need of a humbling, and Club Brugge’s coaches could soon have to take stern action against the Everton and Leeds target if this sort of behaviour keeps happening.
Lang needs to learn the same lessons Ibrahimovic learnt
Lang is without question an exciting talent who has the potential to go far in football, yet there’s a good chance that the Everton and Leeds target won’t reach his true quality if he doesn’t learn the lessons Ibrahimovic learnt in his younger years that made the Swedish player the force he is today.
A level head and the right frame of mind can turn a good player into an incredible one, and for Lang, going through this process could help the attacker reach that next level that many except the Brugge star to one day hit if he can sort out his behaviour.
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