Frank Lampard makes Amadou Onana and Kevin De Bruyne comparison after superb Everton form
Frank Lampard brought Amadou Onana to Everton in the summer, and he’s hoping he follows a similar career path to compatriot Kevin De Bruyne.
Onana has been an immediate hit at Goodison Park following his £33million move in the summer [The Independent], but Lampard insists there is plenty more to come from his 21-year-old midfielder.
Onana has not only been in superb form for Everton but also for Belgium. Lampard now wants to see him emulate the career path of compatriot Kevin De Bruyne.
“From my early conversations with him it was clear he had a big personality and was a very driven young man and I’ve played alongside those type of players before,” said Lampard, as quoted by Football365.
“When I was at Chelsea Kevin De Bruyne was maybe 20, 21 – I’m picking Belgium players because it is a clear relation to Amadou – Romelu Lukaku was of a similar age, and you look at what they have done in their careers.
“I hope and I feel Amadou will have his version of that. I have a huge amount of belief in him and I will help him in trying to take that forward.”
Bold prediction
Everton fans will be more than happy if Onana turns out to be half the player De Bruyne is. The Belgian playmaker has taken the Premier League by storm with Manchester City and has been one of the world’s best midfielders in the last five years.
So Lampard’s comparison is very bold, but the Toffees boss clearly feels extremely confident in Onana’s abilities.
As Lampard says, he could see exactly how De Bruyne was playing at Onana’s current age, so who’s to say that he can’t go on to achieve similar success.
Of course, the profiles of Onana and De Bruyne are very different. Onana’s strengths come from his physique and energy on the ball, while De Bruyne is more of a creative outlet for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Lampard’s comments definitely put a bit more pressure on Onana to progress and develop as a player, but there’s no better role model to follow than Lampard himself.
The former Chelsea and England midfielder is the ideal man to teach Onana all the tricks of the trade and unlock his full potential.