Amadou Onana swapped Lille for Everton in the summer transfer window and has been a regular for the Merseyside club in the league this season.
The Belgium international has made 13 appearances in the Premier League, which includes 11 starts.
His fine displays for Everton put him in a strong position to make it to the national squad for the 2022 World Cup.
Sport/Foot Magazine had an opportunity to have a detailed conversation with the Toffees star, and they started their interview by pointing out his good start at Goodison Park.
“The intensity with which football is played here is a lot higher than in France. Of course, the transition from twelfth man at Lille to a permanent place in the first team of Everton is a big step,” Onana said.
“A lot more is expected of me than last season. Still, you can’t say that I haven’t had an adjustment period. I worked very hard at the start of the season to get used to the rhythm and to find my place.”
Despite impressing for the Merseyside club, the midfielder says there are areas he needs to improve. The 21-year-old added he receives support from Frank Lampard and Everton goalkeepers post training.
When asked about his relationship with the former Chelsea manager, Onana detailed how Lampard convinced him to join the Premier League side in the summer.
“It’s excellent, especially thanks to the person he is. Really, I think he is a top coach and I could say a lot about him. He is certainly the man who convinced me to continue my football adventure here,” the Belgian explained.
“Frank Lampard was an exceptional player, but I don’t sign with any club for the name of the coach. I did for his ideas and with that he seduced me. Talking to him made me realise he is a passionate trainer. There was a good vibe between us.
“I really liked the way he talked about football. He wants to play a lot of possession like many coaches do, but he really gives himself the means to do that. By that I mean: he allows us to make mistakes. He almost forces us to play football like this. He wants us to break the lines and gives us a lot of freedom on the pitch so we can keep the ball in the team.
“For some trainers it stays in theory, for him it also applies in practice. I like that about his way of working. I’ve always needed the freedom to go on the attack, to gain metres. The coach spends a lot of time with me analysing my matches, examining my positional play with and without the ball. The focus is on when I have the ball, because that’s what he stands for.
“He says I have the qualities to be more decisive. That’s what he expects of me. That is why we analyse in detail what I can do better in certain situations. He also believes that I can still make progress on a technical level. He’s right about that, I know that all too well. I often think about it as I sit in my car on the way back from training with Everton to my home in Manchester.”
Finally, on the topic of the World Cup, the Everton player sent a message to those who are pessimistic in his country when it comes Belgium’s chances of enjoying success in Qatar.
“That I am incredibly eager to prove them wrong. If I go to Qatar, it will be with great determination. I’m going there to become world champion, or at least to do as well as De Rode Duivels in 2018. If I don’t, I’ll be very disappointed,” he stressed.
“It actually leaves me cold if people in Belgium no longer believe in us. I do believe in our team. Objectively speaking, we have a great team, on paper one of the best in the world. I am convinced of that because I am lucky enough to play football with them.
“I don’t really understand the negative atmosphere in Belgium. We are in a phase where two strong generations are coming together. We should not underestimate any of our opponents in the group stage, but we are Belgium: we should not fear anyone.”
