Onuachu’s Injury Gives Ike Ugbo Opportunity To Shine With Genk

Racing Genk of Belgium have moved quickly to upgrade their Nigerian-born summer signing, Ike Ugbo as the team’s top striker heading into the second half of the season, following the injury copped by Paul Ebere Onuachu early last month.

Megasportsarena.com reports that Onuachu has already been ruled out of action until March, at the earliest, which has accounted for his exclusion from Nigeria’s squad to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Back at club level, Onuachu’s injury has given space for Ugbo, who last played on loan at Cercle Brugge of Belgium, to step out to be counted and shine for the squad all through January.

Ugbo may end up remaining top striker for Genk into early February, depending on when and if Onuachu would be certified fully fit to return to action.

This means Ugbo, a product of Chelsea of England, who has also played on loan at Scunthorpe United and ADO Den Haag of Netherlands, gains some advantages at Genk that Cyriel Dessers never had.

Dessers opted to ship out to Feyenoord of Netherlands after failing to upstage Onuachu as Genk’s top striker, as the latter went on to emerge highest goals scorer overall in the Belgian top-flight league.

However, where Dessers fell short, Ugbo is coming through in glowing colours, as Genk’s coach, Bernd Storck says he will depend fully on the dark-skinned lad to rain goals for the squad, most so now that Onuachu faces up to one month on the sidelines after scans confirmed that he suffered a hamstring injury during his team’s 1-1 draw with Royal Antwerp.

The injury sustained by Onuachu, who is currently Nigeria’s highest goals scorer in the European top-flight leagues with 12, left Storck looking for a quick alternative to fill in for the absent giant and his search has now come down to Ugbo.

With Onuachu set to miss the Boxing Day trip to KV Oostende as well as being rated doubtful for games against Germinal-Beerschot on January 16 and KV Mechelen on the 19thg, Storck has turned his attention on Ugbo, who has made only six starts in all competitions.

Storck told HBVL via Voetbalkrant: “Ugbo will replace Onuachu . I make no secret of that. When I arrived, I told Iké straight away that he can only play in position nine for me, but that Onuachu is my number 1 there. He was a little disappointed at the time, but now it’s his turn. He knows that. I believe in him.”