Belgian Pro league

Gent Manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck explains why he benched Gift Orban

Since moving from Norway in January, Orban has scored 15 goals in 17 league games

Gent manager, Hein Vanhaezebrouck, has explained why he benched Nigerian prodigy Gift Orban in key critical matches, Soccernet.ng reports.

According to a previous report from Soccernet.ng, the Nigerian star reacted angrily to his manager’s penchant for starting Tarik Tissoudali in certain games rather than him.

However, the 59-year-old has admitted that no player will thank him for benching the Nigerian attacker and that he needs to improve in some other areas.

Recall that the Nigerian has been limited to playing the complete 90 minutes for the Buffalos since their 3-nil victory against KAS Eupen.

However, in the 76th minute of play, Orban, who had come in as a substitute during Gent’s game against Westerlo, received a pass from Hugo Cuypers, and he promptly smashed the ball into the right side of the goal.

The forward scored, but he was not overjoyed to celebrate, since he was upset over being benched. He then hit at his manager while speaking to reporters.

“I have yet to meet the first player who appreciates me for sitting on the bench,” Vanhaezebrouck said. “He is a young man. He’s off to a tremendous start right now. He injected everything he touched. Today as well. He still has to take action in other areas, however. We are not worried.” he added.

Orban will be looking to get more playing time when Gent plays Standard de Liege at Maurice Dufresne Stadium in the Belgian Pro League Championship playoffs.

This post was last modified on April 30, 2023 7:13 am

Ayomide Oguntimehin

Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and an Editor at Soccernet.ng, with a proven track record in conducting interviews with Super Eagles stars such as William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ademola Lookman, and many others. He has also made a significant impact in breaking transfer news stories. Grounded in video editing, video journalism, social media management, and content strategy, Ayomide brings a wealth of expertise to his work. With a Bachelor's degree in English Language from Adeyemi College of Education and a Master's Degree in School Library and Media Technology from the University of Ibadan, Ayomide is well-prepared to excel in the field.

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