Augsburg coach Jess Thorup has praised Super Eagles midfielder Frank Onyeka for his impressive debut in their 3-1 win over St. Pauli on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Onyeka joined Augsburg from English Premier League club Brentford on transfer deadline day. The 26-year-old midfielder had to move to Germany as it was clear that he was not going to play a big role for Brentford this season.
However, he could not join his German side immediately as he had to link up with the Super Eagles for their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda last week.
After the international break, Onyeka joined his Augsburg teammates last week. And he was given a baptism of fire as he was handed a starting shirt for their Bundesliga fixture against St. Pauli.
Onyeka had a great game, registering 71 touches, a 71% pass accuracy, five tackles, two interceptions and two clearances. To cap it off, he also got an assist for Augsburg second goal.
Following his brilliant showing, Augsburg coach Thorup was quite impressed, and he singled out Onyeka for praise.
“He (Onyeka) only trained twice and was involved in the international matches,” Thorup said.
“From the start, he showed us what a good player he is. He is ready to help the team, and that's what he did today.”
“Maybe the only thing missing was the goal at the end, although he had an assist and played very well. For a first game, it was really an outstanding game.”
Onyeka will be hoping that his presence will spur a resurgence at Augsburg. Before his debut, the club picked just one point from their first two Bundesliga games. Next up for Onyeka and his side is a home game against Mainz.
