Is Arokodare living up to expectations? Genk coach assesses Paul Onuachu’s replacement against Adana Demirspor

Tolu Arokodare fell out of favour in Wouter Vrancken’s starting line-up having faced challenges in meeting expectations

KRC Genk manager, Wouter Vrancken, has provided an objective evaluation of Nigerian forward Tolu Arokodare’s performance after his impressive showing at the Cogeka Arena, Soccernet.ng reports.

Arokodare, who joined Genk from Amiens as a replacement for Paul Onuachu after Onuachu’s move to Southampton, has faced challenges in meeting the expectations set as Onuachu’s successor.

In response to Arokodare’s performance in the recent game, Vrancken stated that a striker’s main role is to score goals for the team, and the Nigerian forward has fulfilled that responsibility.

During the Europa Conference League match’s first leg against Turkish side Adana Demirspor, both teams displayed intense efforts in the opening 45 minutes, with two shots on target from the Blue-Whites and three from Demirspor, resulting in no goals.

In the second half, a pep talk from Patrick Kluivert had a positive impact as Emre Akbaba scored the opening goal by creating space in the goal area and placing the ball past Maarten Vandevoordt.

With 20 minutes remaining, Vrancken introduced Arokodare onto the field, and shortly after, the 23-year-old netted a brilliant goal to the delight of the fans. Daniel Munoz sealed the victory with another goal.

Double trouble 🥰#krcgenk #mijnploeg #OverLandEnZee pic.twitter.com/Osg8KEWSwu

— KRC Genk (@KRCGenkofficial) August 24, 2023

Despite facing challenges after losing his starting position, Arokodare is now demonstrating his commitment to the team. Vrancken conveyed to Het Belang van Limburg that the Nigerian player is executing the tasks assigned to him.

“A striker’s success hinges on scoring goals. He has now fulfilled our expectations. He went all out during an attack, giving his all,” remarked the Genk coach, as quoted by Voetbalnieuws.

Genk’s next fixture will take them to Turkey in six days, where they will strive to build upon their recent triumph as they face Demirspor at the Yeni Adana Stadyumu.