Antwerp have got a new shooting star in teenager George Ilenikhena, who has continued to attract praise for his conversion rate.
The 17-year-old striker scores a goal every 41 minutes as the impact sub for the Belgian champions.
Days after he netted the winning goal that defeated mighty Barcelona, Ilenikhena also came off the bench to salvage a 1-1 draw at Anderlecht in the Belgian league.
Former international Paul Himst has been most impressed with the youngster.
“I only know him from TV, but he already looks quite stiff to me. That’s usually a good omen. He reminds me a bit of the young Romelu Lukaku. They are special men who already have such a karuur at a young age, he told GvA.
“As far as I’m concerned, George can follow the same path as Lukaku. His stats, as a substitute, don’t lie. Based on what I’ve seen from him, he has everything to make it as a striker.”
He added: “It’s now a matter of him taking care of himself. In that respect, the guidance is much better than in my time, but what you say to a player can still go in through one ear and out the other. The will to make it must come from within yourself in the first place.”
A former striker Kevin Vandenbergh praised the young striker’s positioning.
“What I think is great about George is that he always makes the right choices”, Vandenbergh told Het Nieuwsblad.
“He was a bit lucky in his finish against Barcelona – he didn’t hit the ball full. But he consciously chose to put the ball out of the reach of the goalkeeper.
“Against Anderlecht I heard the commentators say: “George is in the right place”, but that is not entirely true. He feels where the ball is going to land and then puts himself in the right position. That is something else. He is always present. He will be able to rely on that quality for the rest of his career.”
