Ogenyi Onazi is excited about Gift Orban’s summer transfer to Serie A side Hellas Verona and the forgotten Super Eagles midfielder has backed his countryman to thrive in the Italian top flight, Footynaija.com reports.
Orban recently left Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim to join Verona on a season-long loan that could potentially morph into a permanent transfer should the Italian club decide to trigger their €9 million option to buy next summer.
In the wake of this move, Onazi, who spent five seasons in Serie A and made 110 appearances for Lazio, believes the Italian top flight will be a good fit for Orban. Onazi also told Verona fans what to expect from the 23-year-old striker.
What Ogenyi Onazi said about Gift Orban
“It is very good for him to come to Italy because it is one of the strongest leagues tactically in Europe, and it will be good for his career development,” Onazi said in an interview with Footy Africa.
“It will help him a lot in his game, and he has been good in all the leagues he played in, but Serie A will be a good step for him. He has been good in all the places he has played, in Belgium, France, and Germany, and you can see the talent is there. So for sure, I am sure he will do well in the Italian league. It is just for him to improve on all he has done so that he will be a more complete player.
“The fans will enjoy Gift in Verona. They should expect a lot of exciting football, and his teammates will also enjoy him. They should just supply him with balls in the box because he has the eyes for goals, and I believe he is going to do just that.”
Onazi last pulled on the Super Eagles jersey in 2018, with the emergence of modern day stars like Frank Onyeka, Raphael Onyedika and Wilfred Ndidi leaving no space for him in the Nigeria national team setup.
Despite this, the 32-year-old midfielder, who is currently on the books of Italian Serie D side SSD Città di Acireale 1946, has constantly debunked rumours of his retirement from international football, maintaining that he remains open to returning to the Super Eagles setup.