Amadou Onana has admitted that former manager Frank Lampard played a key role in his decision to sign for Everton.
Onana signed for the Blues last summer from Ligue 1 club Lille in a deal that could be in excess of £30m including add-ons. The Belgium international is nearing the end of his first season at Goodison Park, after agreeing a five-year deal with Everton.
Lampard was Everton manager when Onana joined the club last August. The 21-year-old has gone on to make 24 appearances in his debut campaign on Merseyside, with one goal so far to his name.
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However, Lampard left Everton in January and was soon replaced by Sean Dyche. Onana admits that it was not a nice experience to see his former manager leave the club, and reflects on how Lampard played a key role in his decision to move to Goodison.
“He was one of the reasons I joined the club,” Onana told French news outlet So Foot about Lampard.
“He called me every day to talk about football, the place I would have in the team and what I could improve.
“It's never pleasant to part after such a short time. He's a good coach: I owe him this recent offensive progress, it's something he told me every day until it clicked.
“He didn't make me do too many long shots because I don't have his shot, but it wasn't uncommon for us to do some finishing work with other players and him after the game.”
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