Sue Smith has praised Amadou Onana for making a ‘real difference’ during the midfielder’s Everton debut after signing from LOSC Lille, as Frank Lampard’s side lost 2-1 at Aston Villa.
Amadou Onana ‘made a real difference’ in Everton debut vs Aston Villa
Amadou Onana ‘made a real difference’ after the Belgian came off the bench at Aston Villa for his Everton debut. That’s the opinion of Sue Smith, who has praised the impact that the 20-year-old had at Villa Park, while speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday (13/08, 14:30).
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Frank Lampard made Onana his fifth signing of the summer sales so far this Tuesday with a £34m transfer from LOSC Lille. The Toffees fended off rival interest from West Ham United to obtain the midfielder, with BBC Sport reporting David Moyes had agreed a £34m swoop.
Onana moved to Merseyside only a year after he left Hamburg to join Lille for €7m (£6m). The one-cap Belgium international also only started in 11 of his 32 Ligue 1 appearances at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. Six of his eight Champions League ties also came from the bench.
Lampard felt best not to rush Onana into the Everton side and make his debut by starting at Aston Villa on Saturday. But with the Toffees trailing 1-0 with nine minutes left on the clock at Villa Park, the England icon introduced his new engine room reinforcement for his bow.
Amadou Onana made swift impact for both sides in Premier League bow
Onana made a swift impact on proceedings, but for the wrong side, as he got his first taste of Premier League football. The Dakar native lost possession in the centre circle to give the ball to Emiliano Buendia and a one-two with Ollie Watkins swiftly saw the Argentine score.
Yet Aston Villa would only hold a two-goal lead for a matter of seconds, as Onana made up for his mistake instantly as Everton replied. He burst past Diego Carlos down the left-flank, whipped the ball across the six-yard box to Alex Iwobi, only for Lucas Digne to bundle it in.
The former Blues defender could do nothing but score an own goal to give Lampard a slim hope of a comeback. It was not to be but Onana impressed Smith with what the Belgian had to show, during what was only a brief debut for Everton at Aston Villa this Saturday.
“I thought Onana made a real difference,” Smith noted. “I know he gave the ball away for Aston Villa’s second goal, but he – obviously – then created Everton’s goal.
“He just seemed a threat, seemed really confident, wanting to get on the ball. He’s that athlete that I think that they need. He’s going to take time to adapt.”
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