After a dragged out saga this summer, Henry Onyekuru, who came very close to signing for Paris Saint-Germain, was eventually convinced by Everton that Goodison Park was the best place for him to grow as a footballer.
Work permit issues meant he would have to return to Belgium for at least another year, but there are worse places than Anderlecht, who were playing Champions League football this season, to wait for your Premier League debut.
Enjoying himself at his new temporary club, the Nigeria international has scored seven goals in 18 appearances from the wing and has impressed with his ability to scare defences with his pace, dribbling ability and shot.
While everyone knew he was capable of doing it in the Jupiler League after his huge breakthrough season at KAS Eupen, there are still a few question marks about his ability to perform in the Premier League for Everton down the line.
For his teammate Denis Appiah, the 20-year-old has everything to do it. It’s just up to him.
He told Sport/Foot: “It’s hard to predict these things, but he has the potential to do it, and I hope for him that he manages it. He needs to be given time. At the end of the season, he’ll return to Everton, and we’ll see what he does in the Premier League”.
For Ivan Obradovic, who faces him most days on the training pitch, however, there’s one thing Onyekuru needs to work on.
He explained: “I like players who take their time, because they take it step by step. If he continues like that, he’ll be ready for English football. I don’t know if he’s already capable of playing in the Premier League, but he’s progressing spectacularly, so why not?
“He’ll just need to get a bit stronger because in England, you need to be solid”.
With eight months to go before his return to Goodison Park, there’s still plenty of time for Onyekuru to develop some more and ready himself for the 2018/19 season.
After all, Everton could do with someone capable of creating something out of nothing these days.
