Ex-Man United Centre-back Recalls His Fierce Premier League Battles With Former Super Eagles Forward Amokachi

Former England and Manchester United centre-back, Gary Pallister, has told Completesports.com in an exclusive interview that former Super Eagles forward, Daniel Amokachi, was one of the toughest opponents he faced during his playing career, praising the Nigerian’s pace, power and finishing ability during his time at Everton.

Amokachi, fondly nicknamed ‘The Bull’, played for Everton between 1994 and 1996, where he scored ten goals in 43 appearances and helped the club win the 1995 FA Cup and Community Shield.

Pallister, who featured in 317 matches for Manchester United from 1989 to 1998 and earned 22 caps for England, told Completesports.com that Amokachi’s short spell in the Premier League still left a lasting impression on defenders of that era.

Amokachi: A Real Handful To Defend Against’ — Pallister

“Daniel Amokachi was a striker with immense pace and power, but he was also a great finisher,” Pallister told Completesports.com in an exclusive chat supported by NewBettingSites.uk.

Also Read: Amokachi, Iwobi’s Goals Selected Among Greatest At Goodison Park

“I’d seen him play a few games for Everton before we came up against them and I thought he looked a real handful to defend against. I was right. We beat Everton 2-0 in that game and even though he didn’t score, he caused us real problems.

“He didn’t play in the Premier League for too long, which is probably why he’s not spoken about as much in the modern game, but he was a really difficult opponent whenever I faced him. You couldn’t bully him and you couldn’t give him any space in behind because he was quick,” Pallister added.

Pallister quipped: “If anything, I’m probably glad Amokachi was only in the Premier League for two seasons because he was a real handful to play against.”

‘Players Like Amokachi Were A Nightmare For Defenders’ — Pallister

Pallister recalled his time at Old Trafford, and some clashes with Everton, and explained that Amokachi’s combination of strength and speed made him one of the most dangerous forwards in the league.

“As a central defender, usually you want to try to dominate the opposing centre forward. And usually centre-halves are quite big lumps so they can do that. But when you have players like Amokachi, as well as Alan Shearer, John Fashanu and Mick Harford back in the day, you couldn’t do that,” Pallister noted.

Also Read: Amokachi Hails African Youth Football’s Tactical Maturity, Coaching Evolution

“Physicality was always a big thing in the Premier League. But when you add pace to that as well, it gives you a lot of problems to deal with in the game. When someone has those attributes, like Amokachi did, you have to just step off them half a yard to be on the safe side.”

Pallister stressed: “That type of player would always cause you problems, which is probably why they were so sought after and performed so well in the Premier League. They were a nightmare for defenders.”

“Nigeria Had Amokachi and Other Fantastic Players In The 1990s” — Pallister

Pallister also spoke highly of Nigeria’s famous golden generation of the early 90s that included not only Amokachi, describing them as a group of immensely talented footballers who could change games on their own.

“Jay-Jay Okocha is someone who I loved watching. He was a joy to watch. He had all the skills and vision you need as an attacking midfielder, but he could also score brilliant goals,” Pallister told Completesports.com.

“I always wondered how he would’ve performed in a better team, because he was very much a maverick. I don’t know how he would have fit in at a bigger club. At Bolton he was the main man and I loved watching him play there, because every time he got the ball you knew something was going to happen.

“I think there was room for a maverick like him at bigger clubs. When you think about someone who always wanted the ball and wanted to attack but didn’t want to do too much defending; that’s Eric Cantona at Manchester United,” Pallister explained.

‘Jay-Okocha and Cantona Were Mavericks’ — Pallister

The ex-Manchester United star recounted: “Eric and Jay-Jay were both mavericks. You couldn’t really put them into a structure. Sir Alex Ferguson used to tell Eric not to worry about trying to win the ball back; we’d win it for him then give it to him to go and score. I imagine it was a similar situation with Okocha at Bolton.

Also Read: Beating Man United In FA Cup Final Was Magical  –Amokachi

“I would have liked to see Okocha in a team like Liverpool, United or Arsenal, because he could be a real game-changer.”

‘Leggy And Languid Kanu Was Great In Premier League’ — Pallister

Pallister added: “Kanu was another big striker; he was very leggy and languid. He looked very easy-going in a game, almost as if he was playing at half-speed, but he had great ability on the ball for such a tall guy. He could move well with the ball and he obviously scored some great goals as well.”

By Nnamdi Ezekute