Paul Onuachu: How key injury handed striker second Trabzonspor chance

Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu is expected to lead Trabzonspor’s attack against Gaziantep FK tomorrow, after an injury to Franculino Dju reopened the door.

The 30-year-old is back in training after the muscle injury he suffered against KuPS in the Conference League on 15th October. It kept him out of three games, against Beşiktaş, Hearts and Çaykur Rizespor.

In that spell, Dju took his place. The Guinea-Bissau forward scored twice in Trabzonspor’s 4-3 win at Rizespor, but came off with a thigh problem.

The club confirmed that an MRI scan showed bleeding and swelling in the muscle and tendon at the back of his left thigh, and winger Aral Şimşir is also out. Both are expected to be out until after the November International break.

That leaves Onuachu as the expected focal point of the attack at Papara Park, in the Süper Lig’s Week 10 fixture, which kicks off at 16:00 local time (14:00 in Nigeria).

The timing could hardly be more significant for a striker who has been waiting for a run in the team.

How Paul Onuachu lost his place

The injury came at a bad moment. Onuachu scored in the third minute at KuPS, with Mohamed Salah providing the assist, and was forced off around the 10th minute of a 4-2 win. Trabzonspor coach Thomas Reis called it “a very unfortunate injury.”

Dju stepped in and delivered. Reis said after the Rizespor game that he struggled to rest the forward because of a shortage of attacking options, which shows how thin the squad was without Onuachu.

Now the position has swung back. Onuachu is fit, Dju is not, and Reis has few other options up front.

A modest start in front of goal

Onuachu’s season has had flashes, but not much consistency. He has scored three goals in 10 appearances across all competitions, in 590 minutes.

Both of his league goals came in one game, the 5-0 win over Gençlerbirliği early in September, when he scored twice in 44 minutes. His other goal was the quick strike at KuPS.

Outside that, he has played large parts of games without scoring, including 90 minutes at Konyaspor. He was also only a 31-minute substitute in the 4-0 win over Galatasaray.

Trabzonspor coach hands Onuachu fresh boost

According to Turkish outlet Posta, Thomas Reis spoke to Onuachu directly ahead of the match.

“The stage is yours in the next match, go out and show your quality again,” the German coach said to the experienced striker.

The message is clear. Reis is giving his striker the platform and the confidence that he needs after the injury.

A favourable test

The fixture should help Onuachu regain confidence. Trabzonspor are third in the league, with 19 points from nine games and three behind leaders Galatasaray. They have won their last six competitive matches and scored 13 goals in four home league games.

Gaziantep are 14th with eight points, and they have lost their last four league games. Trabzonspor are unbeaten in 15 meetings with them, with nine wins and six draws.

Fellow Nigerian Chibuike Nwaiwu is also fully fit and ready, meaning two Super Eagles could feature for the hosts.

For Onuachu, this is the kind of fixture for a striker to rebuild form. Dju’s injury ended a brief spell out of the team, and it may be the chance he needs to regain the goalscoring touch that saw him win the Super Lig golden boot with 22 goals last season.