Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana is facing a pointed Belgium selection call before the Red Devils’ final World Cup group-stage match against New Zealand.
Onana was an unused substitute as Belgium were held to a 0-0 draw by Iran at SoFi Stadium, a result that left Rudi Garcia’s side third in Group G and under pressure before Saturday’s decisive fixture.
The Sun reports that the Villa midfielder did not get off the bench in Los Angeles, having played 56 minutes in Belgium’s opening 1-1 draw with Egypt.
UEFA’s player page also lists New Zealand v Belgium as Onana’s next World Cup fixture.
Onana Wait Leaves Villa Watching Belgium Midfield
That makes the New Zealand match a live issue for Villa as well as Belgium.
Onana’s athletic profile gives Garcia a natural ball-winner alongside captain Youri Tielemans, but his reduced role against Iran raises the question of whether Belgium will prioritise control or physical security with qualification at stake.
For Unai Emery, the immediate concern is workload rather than reputation. Villa have already had several players stretched across a heavy tournament window, and Onana’s minutes now depend on how aggressively Belgium chase the result.
Read Aston Villa has already looked at Onana’s rare centre-back appearance for Belgium, which underlined his tactical value to Garcia before the tournament.
A start would put him straight back into the centre of Belgium’s survival plan. Another bench role would tell its own story before he returns to Villa’s pre-season picture.
