Gift Orban is also very popular off the pitch. “Everyone wants something from him at every event,” says Hein Vanhaezebrouck. — © BELGIUM
Gift Orban remains the talk of the town. In fact, foreign countries have also discovered the Nigerian attacker and the list of interested top clubs already looks impressive. However, this changed status does not falter Orban. During training, the striker remains himself: “He is so natural, because don’t forget that he has not even received that much training”, his coach shows a lot of respect.
Stefan Smet
In the meantime, the countdown to the election of the Professional Footballer of the Year has started: “Well, Hugo and Gift, if you look at the figures, they are the most striking with thirty and twenty goals, that is unimaginable”, admits Hein Vanhaezebrouck who This week, however, was confronted with an unforeseen problem. “Yesterday we had to fill in our form for Professional Footballer of the Year. Everyone was obviously looking for the name of Gift, because twenty goals in twenty matches, that is unprecedented. But we couldn’t vote for him because he didn’t finish 1,500 minutes.”
“I have never experienced that. On the other hand, I also wanted to vote for three refs who were not even on the voting sheet. It’s like with the Red Devils: they already select a few names for you. (laughs) Well, Gift is simply just a phenomenon”, Vanhaezebrouck concludes time and time again. “At every event – like this week when we had a padel session – everyone wants something from him, but you can’t ignore the other guys either. Certain guys – such as defenders and midfielders – may be less noticeable and in the end it is often the goalkeepers and the strikers who win an individual trophy.”
© Isosport
Incredible weapon
“I expected a lot from Hugo Cuypers, but that he would score thirty, I think that’s fantastic”, the Ghent coach also has some praise for his club’s top scorer. “Especially because he played almost everything. However, you cannot ignore Gift. I saw him again this week in training scoring two or three great balls in just a few minutes. I haven’t seen that very often. It just stays that way, our mouths often fall open. Will he surprise me? No, it’s just enjoyment, every day we watch with a smile on our face. He is an incredible weapon that everyone wants.”
Still, Vanhaezebrouck believes that Orban is not quite ready for the absolute top. “He may not play right away at the absolute highest level, but then he will also show his talent in training. He can become even stronger in many areas, but not in the short term. You can’t give him so many tips anymore, because he solves everything so often so easily. He is so natural, because don’t forget that he didn’t even have that much education.”
Vanhaezebrouck cannot recover any players for the last away game of the season. Bram Lagae is also the only prospect who is fit enough after winning the U21 cup final last Wednesday. “It is now too early for Bram to start, because he played a full match on Wednesday. It was quite warm and many boys also suffered from cramps. Then you have to be careful not to force it now. Next week might be a better time to give some of them minutes.”
