AS Monaco of France returnee, Henry Onyekuru has received a heartwarming send off message from Galatasaray of Turkey, as the Turkish Super Lig side wished him well now that he is returning to the club they first sold him to last summer then had him back on loan in January, megasportsarena.com reports.
Although Onyekuru was far from as successful as he had been during his first tenure with the Istanbul-based side, Galatasaray reckoned that he deserved to be commended for agreeing to rejoin them at a point he found the going tough at Monaco, during the first half of the season, then expressed hope that he will get a better stay this time out back in Monte Carlo.
The Super Eagles’ star returned to Monaco after Galatasaray failed to reach an agreement with the French Ligue 1 club over a loan extension for the former KAS Eupen and RSC Anderlecht of Belgium lad, who had initially been on loan at Galatasaray two seasons ago.
Considering that he did not even have the best of days during his second spell at Gala, where a bout with malaria left floored him at the onset and caused him to miss their first three matches of 2020, Onyekuru eventually bid goodbye to the Super Lig side following the expiry of his loan.
Dramatically, his only goal and assist came in a 3-1 victory against their fellow-Istanbul-based arch-rivals, Fernebahce, in February, but while Galatasaray reportedly made a move to extend the loan contract with five matches remaining in the extended season, which will now end on July 25, due the forced break caused by COVID-19, both clubs could not reach an agreement.
Nonetheless, cordial memories still linger behind for the 23-year-old Onyekuru, who won the Super Lig title and Turkish Cup with The Lions in the previous season, and made 12 appearances across all competitions this time out, from which his last outing was against Istanbul Basaksehir Sunday before last, when he featured for 90 minutes.
Despite his underachievement during his second spell with Galatasaray, Onyekuru still helped them up to fourth spot on the league table and, as he leaves Nigerian youngster, Jesse Sekidika behind, he expressed gratitude for the reception he got throughout his return to Istanbul.
Before returning to Monaco to join Robert Moreno’s side for pre-season training, Onyekuru was at Galatasaray’s ground on Saturday to say farewell to the players, coaches and officials, after which the club’s media unit tweeted: “Rental agreement ending. Henry Onyekuru said goodbye to our technical team and teammates. Have a nice trip.”
Onyekuru responded with an emotional tweet of his own, as he posted with nostalgia: “I can’t thank Galatasaray enough for the love during my second spell at the club. You are forever in my heart, until we meet again… Cimbom.”
