FC Midtjylland of Denmark winger, Frank Onyeka has appeared at the centre of a disagreement between his coach, Brian Priske and Liverpool of England boss, Jürgen Klopp, following a hard tackle the Super Eagles’ rookie unleashed on one of The Reds’ players during their UEFA Champions League clash in midweek.
While Klopp was furious and slammed what he believes was a dangerous tackle by Onyeka in the early minutes of their 1-1 draw at MCH Arena on Wednesday night, Priske was quick to rise in defence of his ward, who he declared was only putting in the zeal and passion he has for the game, with a view towards also garnering victory for his side.
Megasportsaeewna.com reports that Priske put it down to nothing beyond the ordinary, as Onyeka went in hard, despite facing the chances of getting sent off, after he had earlier been shown a yellow card for what had been rightly adjudged by the match referee as a reckless challenge on Divock Origi in the ninth minute.
Onyeka had to eventually be substituted by Priske 18 minutes into the second half to avoid him getting sent off; while group stage statistics showed that he committed the most number of fouls by any player, with a total of 18 in six appearances, three more than Red Bull Salzburg’s Enoch Mwepu.
Only Paris-Saint Germaine of France star, Neymar (24) suffered more fouls than Onyeka (19), and Klopp appeared to confirm those startling figures when he accosted Priske over the fast-rising youngster’s style, as a report by BT Sport claims The Reds’ gaffer shouted at his opposing tactician: “Why do you play like that? It’s exactly like in the first match.”
In his response, though, Onyeka’s coach expressed a different view, as he disclosed that he did not see the incident involving the Nigerian and a Liverpool player, adding that his players had to play a little hard to earn a result against the Premier League champions.
Priske stated: “I actually did not even see it. I saw him shortly before the match and was inside greeting him on the pitch. I use my gunpowder on those who sit next to me and that is where the focus lies and lay.
“We knew very well that today it was about delivering and showing them that we had the hunger that was needed, and then you have to play a little hard. It does not happen, it is after all football players we are dealing with. Also on the other hand, they are welcome to fight a little.”
