‘Things are not going so smoothly with Gift’– Vanhaezebrouck on Orban

Gift Orban, compared to last season, has not been at his best, scoring two goals in his last seven appearances

KAA Gent manager, Hein Vanhaezebrouck, has revealed the latest updates on Gift Orban ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv clash, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles newcomer has not been at his best compared to last season’s hot form, having scored two goals in seven appearances this season.

The 59-year-old boss has revealed that things are not going smoothly with the young Nigerian sharpshooter, even in training, which might see him have limited playing time in their upcoming Europa Conference League game tomorrow.

The promising talent has recently piqued the interest of several teams, among which Tottenham Hotspurs were lining him up for a move to replace Harry Kane, who left for Bayern Munich.

The 21-year-old also gained Jose Peseiro’s attention, who invited him to the Super Eagles national team squad to face Sao Tome and Principe but could not feature after picking a slight knock in training.

His rival in Vanhaezebrouck’s starting lineup, Hugo Cuypers, has recently picked up an injury, which Orban is expected to take advantage of. However, with the latest from the Belgian manager, there seems not to be light at the end of the tunnel for Orban.

“Things are not going so smoothly with Gift either in training,” he said, as quoted by Nieuwsblad.

He explained further: “It’s very simple: someone who plays fantastically well in training always plays. Or you have to be new like my neighbor (points to Gandelman, ed.), because then you sometimes have to pick up some things. We also think it’s strange, but I also mentioned that last year: then everything worked and everything was great. Sometimes things just don’t work out, and Gift is just in such a moment, but that can also make him stronger, once he finds his way to the goal again.”

The Gent-based club had a frustrating night after securing a 1-1 draw against Zorya Luhansk, conceding after three minutes of taking the lead.

They will be looking to bounce back with a victory when they welcome the Israelites to the Gent arena.