Ike Uche: Samuel Chukwueze Will Be A Success At Villarreal

The former Nigeria international is aware of the quality possessed by the flying winger and has tipped the youngster to become even better at the La Liga side.

One-time Super Eagles hotshot Ikechukwu Uche is convinced that Villarreal is the best place for Samuel Chukwueze to develop his talent as the Spanish side have the reputation of making global stars out of raw gems.

Uche starred for the Yellow Submarines between 2012 and 2015, helping them gain promotion to the Primera Division in his first season by scoring 14 goals in 32 games.

The 36-year-old forward went on to become a big success in the Spanish top flight and still retains the record as the highest-scoring Nigerian in La Liga history with 43 goals.

Aside from Villarreal, Uche also wore the colours of La Liga sides Recreativo Huelva, Getafe, Real Zaragoza, and Granada.

Fast, tricky, and decisive, the 2013 AFCON winner has a lot in common with Chukwueze, who has been the subject of interest from various clubs across Europe.

Liverpool are believed to have had a bid rejected for the 21-year-old in January and are expected to return for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner in the summer.

Uche, however, wants his younger compatriot to stay and trust the Villarreal system that produced global stars like Santi Cazorla.

“He (Chukwueze) is very good. Everything is working very fast for him. Where he is, it is obvious that he would get better, he would do well because it is one of the best teams at the moment in the Spanish League, ” Uche told Nigeria Info FM.

“They’ve had important players and like bringing up players from the second team and make them stars.

“He’s doing well, and he’s growing. With the games he’s been playing, it shows he can get better.