“Put Daniel Amokachi up front” – Ex-Gent boss believes Nigerian legend was Club Brugge’s missing UCL X-factor

Former KAA Gent and Anderlecht manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck is convinced that Club Brugge are missing the fine finishing touch of Super Eagles legend Daniel Amokachi in Europe this season, Soccernet.ng reports.

Club Brugge played a near-perfect game against Scottish giants Celtic on Wednesday night on matchday five of the UEFA Champions League.

However, despite creating the better chances, winning the most corner kicks, and forcing their hosts’ goalkeeper to make more saves, Club Brugge ultimately settled for a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park.

Striker Ferran Jutglà had a goal chalked off by VAR while attackers Christos Tzolis and Andreas Skov Olsen looked like they did not travel to Scotland with their goalscoring boots.

The attack was clearly the only weak point of a Club Brugge side that had even the Scottish media singing their praises the morning after.

It is a problem that Club Brugge have battled with in the Champions League this term, with the Blue-and-Blacks having won only two and drawn one of their five games.

Vanhaezebrouck believes Club Brugge would have easily won at Celtic and even qualified for the knockout rounds if the Belgian champions still had some of their legendary forwards, including Nigerian icon Amokachi.

“Put a Daniel Amokachi or Raoul Lambert up front now and qualification is already secured,” Vanhaezebrouck said, as per Voetbal Nieuws. “The same on the flanks. With Izquierdo or Diatta, a lot more difference could be made there too.”

1994 Africa Cup of Nations winning star Daniel Amokachi spent four years at Club Brugge in the early nineties during which time he won the prestigious Belgian Ebony Shoes Award twice.

It was for Club Brugge that he scored the first-ever goal in the new-format UEFA Champions League in 1992.

Amokachi remains one of only five players to have scored more than 30 goals in less than 100 games in the Belgian Pro League for Club Brugge.