Chidera Ejuke is enjoying a brilliant debut season for Heerenveen in the Eredivisie, and the youngster is poised to have more success in the second half of the campaign.
The 22-year-old joined the Dutch side in the summer from Norwegian club Valerenga, and has scored six goals, and provided two assists in eighteen games.
The ex-Golden Eaglets star has, however, delivered more than just goals and assists. He is known for his dribbles and mazy run down the wings, with his pace and tricks causing a few defenders a lot of problems.
While Ejuke is fully aware of the expectations of the Heerenveen fans when he is with the ball, the youngster is focused on troubling opposition defences whenever they face him.
“I really feel that everyone expects something nice from me. When I get the ball, I have to do something useful with it, for the team and myself,” says Ejuke in an interview with the Leeuwarder Courant.
“I always want to create something. Get past defenders, create opportunities. Those are my qualities.
“Defenders should not get the impression that they are having an easy evening. They must continue to worry. I always try to crawl into my opponent's head, discover how he thinks. I adjust my game as much as possible.
“I have to learn to better recognize the moments when I can use my dribbles.”
“But without risk, I will never play football. If you opt for safety, you will not create anything. But I have to become more stable,” the left-winger concludes.
Ejuke and Heerenveen suffered a 3-1 defeat on Saturday at Feyenoord in their first game of the new year, but the young Nigerian would be desperate to make amends when the Super Frisians host Willem II on Wednesday evening in a KNVB Beker clash.
