Samuel Chukwueze resumes pre-season training at Villarreal with a point to prove
A new coach and new teammates, Chukwueze is returning to a different Villarreal.
After a short break in Nigeria, Samuel Chukwueze has resumed pre-season training at Villarreal with a point to prove.
He has just come off an underwhelming season which was salvaged with his improved performances after La Liga resumed following the lockdown that came about due to the outbreak of coronavirus. To get the full grasp of why Chukwueze was underwhelming last season, you would need to look at what he did during his breakthrough year.
In his debut season at Villarreal’s senior team, the Nigerian caught the eyes with his nimble feet and dribbling abilities. There were a couple of brilliant performances too against the big boys-Real Madrid and Barcelona- that made everyone take notice.
While he was expected to continue on that trajectory the following season, the 2019/2020 season saw the Nigeria international suffer a decline.
He did manage to pull off some performances after the Spanish top flight’s restart but it was clear he wasn’t on the level everyone expected him to be.
Although he remains highly rated at the club, Chukwueze will have returned to Villarreal to find out that he more than ever at the club needs to prove himself.
A new manager Unai Emery has already taken over means he has a new manager to impress while the signings of Takefusa Kubo on loan from Real Madrid brings more challenge for a shirt.
There is also the new challenge of being able to deliver at the level of expectation now expected at Villarreal who have made some exciting signings ahead of the new season with the Europa League title and Champions League football now the targets.
But despite these circumstances, Chukwueze should be confident that his talent would give him some respites but that won’t matter if he does not roll up his sleeves and get to work.
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