Former Everton manager Roberto Martinez has admitted he was not surprised to see Everton spend £33.5million on Amadou Onana and believes the midfielder could be sold for a fee similar to Romelu Lukaku in the future.
The Blues announced the capture of Onana from Lille last week and arrives at Goodison Park as a player with huge potential to develop. Deployed as a late substitute during Saturday's defeat at Aston Villa, the 20-year-old made an instant impact to help Frank Lampard' side score a consolation goal.
Onana had spent only one season in the French top-flight prior to making the move to Everton, raising question marks over the fee paid by the Toffees to secure his services. But ex-Blues boss Martinez, now the manager of the Belgium national team, believes this could prove to be a smart investment in the long-term given the player's age and room for development.
READ MORE: Everton have 'no interest' in entertaining bids for Anthony Gordon
READ MORE: Anthony Gordon interest to hand Frank Lampard and Kevin Thelwell biggest Everton test
Asked if it came as a shock to see the transfer sum Everton spent on Onana, Martinez said: "No. It reminds me of Romelu Lukaku’s transfer when I was at Everton. We paid more than €30m for him then. That was the most expensive Everton transfer ever.
“A few years later we sold Romelu to Manchester United for €90m. That €30m ended up being the cheapest €30m Everton ever spent. I think it’s no different with Onana. I think Onana, who is only 20 years old, can be sold for a lot more money in a few years. He already has leadership and an impressive character.
“If he can still grow in the position they brought him for, a defensive midfielder, then things are definitely going in the right direction."
Martinez handed Onana his full international debut for Belgium back in June and will be paying close attention to the youngster's progress on Merseyside in the coming months. Regular first-team minutes will be the aim for Everton's new recruit, but the Spaniard has warned his place in the Red Devils' World Cup squad could be at risk unless he is frequently selected by Lampard.
“[Charles] De Ketelaere, but also other youngsters such as Onana and [Lois] Openda have thought about their transfers for a long time. They declined offers because they had a clear idea of what they wanted,” he told Belgian outlet Het Belang van Limburg.
“But I must not beat around the bush: it is of course always a risk, because you do not know how much they will play. And those young players must have enough match rhythm to go to the World Cup."
READ NEXT:
Yerry Mina expected return date as Everton deal with deepening injury crisis
'Going to be difficult' - Mason Holgate makes honest Everton admission after Aston Villa loss
Nathan Patterson leaves Lucas Digne dazed as Alex Iwobi Everton message sent
Bamba Dieng 'offered' to Everton as Serhou Guirassy transfer links linger
Rio Ferdinand compares Amadou Onana to former Everton and Man United midfielder
