Southampton coach Ivan Juric described Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu as a tough fighter after the lanky forward scored his first goal for the Saints, two years after joining them, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The striker netted an emphatic header in added time during Southamptonโs 3-2 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, although the result took the shine off that moment, it was a soothing balm for Onuachu who joined the club in the 2023 January transfer window.
Onuachu came off the bench on 58 minutes at the City Ground with Saints 3-0 down and he quickly helped spark what was almost a sensational comeback, helping to tee up his teamโs first goal with an excellent knock-down to fellow sub-Lesley Ugochukwu, whose shot flicked in off Jan Bednarek, before he headed in from a Mateus Fernandes corner at the start of added time.
โThere are some players that I like, they have some quality and he has this quality. Heโs tough, heโs a fighter, heโs tall with the ability to head,โ Juric said after the game.
โHeโs very good and he will give everything he can. I think he will be very good for us. Iโm very happy for him that he scored today,โ he added.
Onuachu arrived at Southampton from Belgian club Genk in January 2023 for a fee of around โฌ18m but he had to go on a loan last term after a futile first six months on the south coast. In Belgium, where he spent four years with Genk, he scored 79 goals in 114 appearances.
Last season, the 30-year-old rediscovered his goal-scoring form at Trabzonspor in Turkey, scoring 15 goals and four assists in 21 league games.
After 12 Premier League games this season, the Nigerian striker has finally broken his goal drought and dedicated it to the fans.
โTheyโve been brilliant. Even though weโve been last in the table theyโve been travelling everywhere, full everywhere, I mean Iโm just going to dedicate this goal to them because theyโve been supportive, to be honest, theyโre cheering for me when sometimes Iโve played a good game, played not so good game, they are still โPaul, come one, come onโ and still cheering. Itโs nice to see,โ he said.
In recent weeks, the forward has been linked with a potential move away from Southampton in January, with Turkish clubs Trabzonspor and Beลiktaล reported to be interested.
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