Amadou Onana will come up against former club Everton for the first time since swapping Goodison for Villa Park – and admits his experience on Merseyside shaped him as a man
Amadou Onana signed for Aston Villa because of Unai Emery.
And he will do ‘whatever it takes’ to win against former club Everton tonight. But although the chapter on his career at Goodison Park is now closed, he cannot quite shake the experience out of his system.
The imposing Belgian international believes he ‘grew as a man’ at the Merseyside club, claiming that driving through tough times developed him. He arrived with little more than one season of top-flight football on his CV – and left with the club leaving a deep imprint upon him.
Not least the final game of the 2022-23 campaign when Abdoulaye Doucoure’s early second-half goal earned them a final-day reprieve amid chaotic scenes at Goodison. Onana said: “I learned a lot at Everton.
“I grew up there as a man and a player, so it is always special to play against lads you know. What do I mean? Playing in a relegation battle, staying in the Premier League… that last game against Bournemouth.
”That shapes you as a man in terms of dealing with pressure and getting on with things. That’s why I say I grew as a man. You know, that Bournemouth game… that was heavy. Even talking about it now, I get goosebumps. It was a big moment.
“Everton is a big club and belongs in the Premier League, so it was quite emotional.”
Onana became Emery’s marquee signing this summer as he switched to Villa Park in a £50m deal. Villa’s boss was a huge factor in his decision to move to the Champions League newcomers with the midfielder tagging his manager as a ‘tactical freak.’
He said: “I have said it a few times and I will say it again, the boss was the key point in my decision. He made my decision easy. Working under him, I could not wish for any better. He is a top coach and has shown in different leagues. He can definitely bring more out of me.
“I don’t know what it is about him. He just has something special. I can’t describe it. It is just something special. It’s tactical. He is a tactical freak, really detail-orientated and it makes it easy for us players out there. He gives me the freedom to express myself, defensively and on the ball.
“Possession football suits me a little bit more. I’ve been given the freedom and confidence to get out there and do my thing.”
Onana, 23, got off to a storming start – finding the net with a near-post header inside four minutes of his debut at the Olympic Stadium against West Ham. And he followed that with a free-kick worked out on the training ground as his second goal in three games helped defeat Leicester City.
Onana said: “It’s been very good so far – I am playing with a smile on my face. Austin McPhee, our set-piece coach, always says, wherever the ball goes, just think in your mind: ‘I’m a striker.’ That’s been the key to it so far. I’m getting there.
“I think the supporters appreciate it – I heard the supporters singing my name at Leicester. It’s always something special when that happens. Scoring is my way of saying: ‘Thank you’ to them.”
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