Ex-Ajax star compares Super Eagles star to Lukaku

Former Ajax Amsterdam defender Perr Schuurs has explained the difference between Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare and Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku.

Arokodare has been in impressive form since joining Ajax on loan from English side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer transfer window and has continued to rediscover the goalscoring form that once made him one of Europe’s best strikers.

The Super Eagles striker continued his fine run on Saturday night, scoring again in Ajax’s disappointing 1-1 draw against NEC in the Eredivisie.

Despite finding the net for the seventh time across all competitions this season, Arokodare could not help Ajax secure all three points. 

The Amsterdam club have now dropped points in their last two Eredivisie matches and remain 15th in the standings, five points behind league leaders Feyenoord.

Schuur reveals Arokodare’s biggest strength

Arokodare, who is hoping to help Ajax win major silverware this season, needed just seven minutes to open the scoring against NEC, registering his fourth Eredivisie goal of the season. The Super Eagles forward showed great aerial strength and power to head home a cross from Jorthy Mokio.

Schuurs, who previously played for Ajax before joining NEC, came up against Arokodare during Saturday’s encounter and experienced how difficult it was to defend against the former Genk striker.

The Dutch defender agreed with Ajax legend Marciano Vink and admitted that Arokodare’s physical strength and aerial ability made him a challenging opponent.

“I knew he was big and strong, but he can also jump well. Once he goes into the air, he is three metres tall”, Schuurs told Sportnieuws.nl.

“I was shocked by his physicality and cleverness.

“Conceding a goal early in the game is never nice to start with, but we could do very little about this. It was a very soft cross, but he gave the ball so much power. That’s really difficult. You can see that he has quality.

“We knew they wanted to look for him, especially in behind. Every now and then, I tried to take him out of the game or get ahead of him. Of course, you know that entering into such a duel makes little sense.”

Schuurs makes strong Arokodare-Lukaku comparison

The NEC defender has faced several top strikers during his career, but believes Arokodare offers a different challenge from many of the forwards he has encountered.

The Dutch defender compared the Super Eagles striker to Lukaku, given the similarities between both players especially in their physical builds and the ability to trouble defenders.

Schuurs played in the Serie A for Torino after leaving Ajax in 2022 and faced Lukaku on several occasions. Although he acknowledged the Belgian’s quality, Schuurs explained that Arokodare is more difficult to defend against.

“I played in Serie A for four years, but even there, I didn’t often come across such a striker. For example, Lukaku is a different type and easier to play against. He mainly wants the ball played low, while Tolu wants the ball on his chest”, the Dutch defender added.

“Gianluca Scamacca? That is also a completely different type and is also twenty kilos lighter. At least he is a beautiful player for us in the Eredivisie.”

Super Eagles star pays tribute to injured teammate after scoring

The Super Eagles forward also shared a touching moment after scoring against NEC. He celebrated by holding up the jersey of his Ajax teammate Kasper Dolberg, who suffered an injury last month and is expected to spend several months on the sidelines.

The 25-year-old later revealed that Super Eagles teammate Victor Osimhen inspired him to make the gesture.

“I wanted to do something like this. Or rather, it wasn’t my idea; Osimhen told me, ‘You should do something like this,’ and I did. I thank him for that”, Arokodare said.

Arokodare will now be looking to build on his impressive goalscoring form and continue improving as he settles into life at Ajax.

Ajax will face Croatian side Hajduk Split in their UEFA Conference League opener on Thursday, where the Super Eagles star will hope to continue his scoring run.