Amadou Onana
Amadou Onana is determined to learn from his Everton manager Frank Lampard when it comes to adding the one thing missing from his game – goals.
Amadou Onana said: “Our manager Frank Lampard was renowned for goals during his own playing career and he is trying to give me that aspect of his game and that is what is missing. I have watched his clips and goals and I think if I had his shooting ability I would be a very good player. He didn’t tell me to watch them, he is a very humble guy and that is what I like about him. He could have been like, ‘hey I am Frank Lampard, look at what I did.’ But he is really not like that, he is just trying to be a humble guy speaking to us normally and respectfully and I really like him, he’s still very good, but he doesn’t really want to show it because he’s not a show off guy but we all know he’s better than many of us!”
Onana also confirmed that he regularly watches videos of Lampard’s goals and will look at them around once a week.
Amadou Onana said: “Then we will do specific drills on the pitch over things he thinks I could improve. We spend a lot of time analysing sequences of the games, he is giving me advice about my positioning, how to be decisive, when to get into the box, so there are a lot of things that we have been working on but especially my finishing because I think this is one of the missing parts of my game, we have been working on that. I think that is what makes a box to box midfielder special, having the ability to do both tasks defensively and offensively so that is what I am trying to do. Even before I came to Everton I watched his goals. I watched a lot of Premier League games, I have been watching the Premier League since I was about seven or eight, so it has always been the Premier League and if you talk about the Premier League you have to mention his name.”
While Onana is full of praise for Lampard’s scoring exploits, there isn’t one goal that particularly stands out for him and he admits that his boyhood hero played further up the pitch than both himself and his manager.
Amadou Onana said: “He scored a bunch of goals. I couldn’t tell you (which one stands out). I didn’t really idolise midfielders, it was more strikers. Ronaldinho was my player, I loved the player he was and the show he was putting on each week. It was just amazing.”
Onana was speaking at Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock having been taken on a tour of the site with reporters. He was visibly impressed by the progress that has been made so far and as well as being enthusiastically engrossed in conversation with the staff showing him around he remarked how you could “hear the fans already” when stood upon the steps of the steep, single tier South Stand that will become the ‘home end.’ At just 21, Onana is one of the young players the Blues will be hoping can lead them into their new home when they are scheduled to leave Goodison Park in 2024 as Lampard looks to build a team worthy of the 52,888 capacity waterside venue.
Amadou Onana said: “It’s the first time I’ve been here and it’s looking amazing, to be fair. I’m blown out by how fast it goes. I think when the manager talked to me he was like, ‘we are in a kind of rebuild process.’ It will take time, of course, but we have been doing good so far. We’re still in that rebuilding phase and finishing in the top half of the table this season would be a great achievement I think.”
