Former Genk striker, Patrick Goots, has heaped praise on Nigerian striker, Toluwalase Emmanuel Arokodare, for his improvement under Thorsten Fink, Soccernet.ng reports.
Genk are currently top of the Belgian Pro League, a point above their rivals, Club Brugge. De Smurfen have scored 40 goals in the league this season, with Arokodare accounting for 43% of those with 13 goals and four assists in 20 games.
In comparison, the 6ft6in tall striker has surpassed his total goal contribution of last season while playing just half of the games this campaign, and this drew praise from Goots, who was a success at the Cegeka Arena.
“I certainly wasn’t overwhelmed then. He had to deal with a lot of injuries. He was never really fully fit. I didn’t expect Tolu to explode this year. No, but neither did Genk. He couldn’t handle 90 minutes back then. He was a different Tolu.
Now, he’s a rock in the surf, who doesn’t shy away from a duel and who you don’t easily push off the ball. He’s changed in every way. He already had the qualities before, but now he’s physically in tip-top shape.
He is also of great value in combinations with Steuckers, for example. Tolu is the point of contact who has to pass the ball, which allows the entire team to advance,” the 58-year-old said in quotes revealed by Het Nieuwsblad.
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Despite Arokodare’s brilliant form, he is yet to receive a call-up to the Nigerian senior team. However, the Super Eagles interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen, revealed during the November International break that the Genk striker is one of the players on his invitation radar, should an opportunity suffice.
