The technical assistant to the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has given fans of Watford an idea of what to expect from the Nigeria international Oghenekaro Etebo who recently joined the team on loan.
Tunde Adelakun in an interview with theathletic.com said the 25 year old is a mainstay of the Super Eagles alongside Wilfred Ndidi and likened him to Liverpool Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara.
He said his tactical awareness and ability to protect the ball puts him in same bracket with the Spaniard and also said he is the quiet type off the pitch as he most time love to just stick to his job.
“He’s a mainstay in the team alongside Wilfried Ndidi,” Tunde Adelakun — part of Nigeria’s technical staff — tells The Athletic.
“He’s a defensive midfielder who likes to make forays forward. He is relatively small, but his main attribute is his physicality, he’s very protective of the ball and doesn’t like to lose it and will always battle with tenacity and desire.”
“With a little bit more tactical awareness and exposure, I see similarities with Thiago Alcantara,” says Adelakun. “He likes to go up against taller players in midfield battles, and I see him only getting better with more time and exposure to a higher level of football.”
“He’s quiet, he just gets on with it and sticks to what he needs to do,” says Adelakun. “If he needs to have a word or two about what’s happening, he’ll share it, but he’s not normally one to take the lead.”
