The Nigeria international left the Cegeka Arena in the winter, but he has endured a tough time in England since then
In an emotional plea to his former club, KRC Genk, retired midfielder Johan Boskamp has called on the Belgian outfit to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to bring back Paul Onuachu, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigerian striker’s three-and-a-half-year tenure at Genk was a triumphant chapter before he ventured into a dream Premier League move, signing up with Southampton.
However, Onuachu’s journey in the English top-flight turned out to be nothing short of nightmarish, failing to register a single goal as Southampton suffered relegation.
Unfortuntely, Genk did not fare any better following his departure, losing the coveted Belgian Pro League title to Royale Antwerp on the final day of the season.
To add to their woes, Genk’s Champions League aspirations were dashed when Swiss side Servette prevailed on penalties in the qualifier to send the Belgian side out of the competition.
The fallout of their Champions League elimination remains bitter, leaving Boskamp still perplexed by the team’s performance.
In light of these setbacks, Boskamp firmly believes that the time for intervention is now.
The former Stoke City manager stressed that Genk should pull out all the stops to reclaim Paul Onuachu’s services, highlighting the significant impact the striker had during his previous stint at the club.
“If I were them, I would do anything to get Onuachu back right now,” voiced Boskamp to Voetbal24.
“His departure already cost them the title last season and now also the Champions League. In England, he doesn’t hit a marble anyway.
“Put that boy out of his misery and just get him back. He doesn’t need an adjustment period, and they know perfectly how to use him. Their game was completely tailored to him.”
During his previous spell with Genk, Onuachu netted 85 goals and assisted ten more across all competitions in 134 appearances.