The Villarreal star has struggled for form this season with his performances questioned by former Arsenal manager Unai Emery
Former Nigerian international Mutiu Adepoju has called on Samuel Chukwueze to work hard more and keep believing as he hopes to regain his form.
Chukwueze was the golden boy of Nigerian football after his breakthrough season with Villarreal in the 2018/2019 campaign.
The 21-year-old starring performances against two of Spain's heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid in his debut season got the public's attention.
His displays that season earned him a spot in Nigeria's squad to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. Chukwueze's profile continued to rise and was even nominated for the KOPA awards in 2019.
However, he has been unable to replicate the same form in what is already his third season at Villarreal.
Chukwueze has made 17 appearances in the Spanish top-flight this season, but he has only started six of those games.
Recently, Villarreal's manager, Unai Emery, questioned his performances, saying he wants more from the Nigerian international.
But speaking in an exclusive interview with Soccernet, former Super Eagles star, Adepoju urged Chukwueze to continue to work hard- although he hinted the ex-Golden Eaglets star's performances might have dropped because of complacency.
When asked for the reason for Chukwueze's drop in form, Adepoju said: “it's difficult to say because I am an outsider, I am not in their team.
“But I believe in football, as we are growing, there must be consistency, and there must be hard work. You cannot just work one season and think that everything has been done and then you relaxed.
“The only thing I can tell him is just for him to continue working hard and not lose hope and try as much as possible to get back into the team,” Adepoju added.
Chukwueze will have the chance to prove himself again when Villarreal welcome Granada to the Estadio La Ceramica on Wednesday.
