Newly capped Nigeria international defender Christian Akpan has extended his contract with KRC Genk by four seasons until the summer of 2030, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
The 21-year-old Nigerian was a subject of interest to teams around Europe, but decided to pledge his immediate future to Genk , where he developed from the B team to the main team last season.
Akpan came to Jong Genk ( Be team ) in 2023 and gradually stamped his authority in the team making 59 appearances, where he showed his versatility my playing in different roles.
He is primarily a right back but played as a left back and also a defensive midfielder before making the step up to the first team towards the end of the season.
A man of the match award in his debut game caught the attention of the national team selectors of Nigeria, and he was handed a late call by head coach Eric Chelle to the team for the friendly game against Portugal.
Chelle handed him a start and he played for 60 minutes before he was replaced by Abdullahi Bewene in the game that Nigeria lost 1-2.
“We are happy that Christian wants to connect his future to our club. Due to his versatility, he is also an extremely interesting profile for the technical staff. Such guys give coaches opportunities to switch during a game if necessary”, says Head of Football Dimitri de Condé.
Daniel Martins
