Following an outstanding debut at Aston Villa on Saturday, a pundit has backed Amadou Onana to start for Everton against Nottingham Forest this coming weekend.
Onana was brought to the Premier League by Everton for £34 million from Lille. West Ham and the French club had reached an agreement for Onana, but they were unable to pay his demands.
As a result, the Toffees pounced and made the central midfielder’s five-year deal official.
Onana was left off the roster for the opening weekend of the new Premier League season’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea. But he later made his debut in the subsequent matchup with Villa.
In the 81st minute, the Belgian came off the bench to replace Demarai Gray as Everton searched for an equaliser after falling behind 1-0.
Onana’s debut didn’t get off to a good start. In midfield, he mishandled the ball, and Villa pounced. Emi Buendia and Ollie Watkins collaborated before Emi Buendia finished into an empty net to give Villa a two-goal lead.
Some players might have lowered their heads, but Onana did the exact opposite. Soon after the opening kick, he received the ball and forced his way into the opposing penalty area.
Before sending a dangerous ball across goal, he displayed some nice footwork. Under Alex Iwobi’s pressure, Lucas Digne attempted to clear the ball but was only able to bundle it over his own goal line.