Belgium fell to a shock defeat in their Euro 2024 opener as Slovakia secured a surprise 1-0 win, with Arsenal star Leandro Trossard slammed for his display.
Belgium misfired in front of goal despite dominating possession, and Trossard was particularly poor as he was rated as the worst player on the pitch by sections of the Belgian media.
Lining up alongside Trossard was Everton star Amadou Onana, who has been linked to Arsenal in recent weeks.
Onana was one of Belgium’s better performers, and the 22-year-old has been named as a potential £50m signing for Mikel Arteta as he looks to sign a defensive midfielder to help support Declan Rice.
With Thomas Partey now looking likely to leave after a season of injury struggles, it is now easy to see why Onana is being looked at as a potential replacement.
Amadou Onana shines for Belgium despite defeat to Slovakia
Onana was a bright spot in the Belgium midfield as they began their Euro 2024 campaign in the worst possible way. The midfielder was a dominant force in the middle of the park, but could do nothing to prevent the early goal after Jeremy Doku’s error.
The Arsenal target astonishingly won nine of his 10 attempted ground and aerial duels as no one could get past him in midfield, whilst he also played seven passes into the final third.
Onana sat deep and helped Belgium push up the pitch, but poor actions in front of goal from Trossard and Romelu Lukaku meant that they could not score.
Amadou Onana can replace Thomas Partey’s physicality for Arsenal
Partey looks set to leave after struggling with injury for most of the season, and when he eventually returned he did perform well at times, but it is clear that he has lost some of the physicality which made him elite at his best.
Onana, standing at 1.92m tall, can certainly replace this presence in the middle of the park. If he is to join Arsenal, he would help add further physical dominance alongside Rice, and as an elite ball winner, this midfield would be nearly impossible to beat.
There are still questions about whether Onana’s ability on the ball can improve enough to match what Partey brings, but his display in tough circumstances showed that he has the necessary physical tools to play at the base of Arsenal’s midfield.