Hans Vanaken produced a “special” performance in Belgium’s 1-1 draw with Ivory Coast just days after rejecting an offer from West Ham United, Rote Duivels coach Roberto Martinez said at his post-match press conference.
At the age of 28, the 6ft 4in midfielder is playing the best football of his career.
Vanaken won the Jupiler League title with Club Brugge last season, with a first international outing in 11 months fitting reward for outstanding displays at club level.
Clearly, a man who became the first player since 1986 to win the Belgian Golden Shoe award twice in succession is on a roll.
Perhaps that’s why he decided to sign a new contract with Brugge rather than make a £14 million move to West Ham in the final week of the transfer window (HLN).
Vanaken, of course, is the first name on the team sheet at Brugge.
And, as Jupiler League legend Wilfried Van Moer told HBVL, why risk going to a club where you might find yourself stuck on the bench behind Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek?
Either way, with the European Championships less than a year off Belgium’s manager will be thrilled to see Vanaken starting week in, week out.
“I really liked the partnership between Vanaken and (Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Leander) Dendoncker. These two players showed an excellent level,” Martinez said, translated by Voetbal Belgie.
“Hans Vanaken was really special. They had a difficult task, because Ivory Coast was an opponent that presented us with many problems and one-on-one situations.
“Hans and Leander filled the spaces and gave us balance. They have the level of top international football.”
Vanaken has hit double figures in each of his five seasons at Brugge, scoring a joint-career best 17 goals in 2019/20.
West Ham’s record transfers
- Sebastien Haller
£45 million
- Felipe Anderson
£41.5 million
- Marko Arnautovic
£25 million
- Pablo Fornals
£24 million
- Issa Diop
£22 million
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