Aston Villa: Unai Emery will have questions for Amadou Onana after Belgium cameo vs Mexico
Aston Villa will soon welcome Amadou Onana back from international duty with Belgium.
The midfielder featured in both games of the March break with the Red Devils as his side secured a win and a draw in their two friendlies.
A 5-2 win against the United States came first as the Villa star got on the scoresheet in Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
That wasn’t enough to seal himself a place in the starting XI against Mexico at the 61,000-capacity Soldier Field, Chicago.
Onana did come on for Belgium against Mexico, but Unai Emery is bound to have more questions than answers after his performance.
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How did Amadou Onana perform for Belgium vs Mexico?
Rudi Garcia’s side were dominant against the USA to begin the break, but weren’t able to have the same effect on another 2026 World Cup host.
El Tri were good value for a draw and arguably deserved more from the friendly encounter after taking the lead on 19 minutes through Jorge Sanchez.
| Stat | Mexico | Belgium |
| Possession (%) | 48 | 52 |
| Shots | 10 | 5 |
| Big chances | 1 | 0 |
| Corners | 3 | 2 |
| Duels won | 49 | 41 |
Dodi Lukebakio netted an equaliser to seal a 1-1 draw on the night, with the Villa midfielder coming on without making much of an impact.
Onana was given the call with 27 minutes to go and was able to clock up 24 touches and 21 accurate passes in that time.
Only 14 per cent of those made their way into the final third as he once again showed a lack of creativity when passing forward.
That wasn’t outweighed by his defensive talents either, as just two defensive actions and no duel wins were registered on the night.
Onana has been great at times for Aston Villa this season, but these sorts of performances are unlikely to go down well back at Bodymoor Heath.
Onana must step up for Aston Villa
The Villans are set to return to action after the international break with plenty of work still to do in the Premier League and Europa League.
A quarter-final double header against Bologna awaits, while the race to secure a top-four place remains a top priority in the Midlands.
Onana has to utilise the return of Youri Tielemans alongside him to help his levels rise, despite struggling at times with his nation.
Emery will want to know what went wrong for the defensive midfielder against Mexico before throwing him back into the fold in claret and blue.
He should have the answers and needs to step up, as he could prove to be the difference for the Villans.
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