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Newly capped Nigerian international defender Christian Akpan has extended his contract with KRC Genk by four seasons until the summer of 2030, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
The 21-year-old Nigerian was the subject of interest from teams across Europe, but decided to pledge his immediate future to Genk, where he moved from the B team to the main team last season.
Akpan arrived at Jong Genk (Be team) in 2023 and little by little he imposed his authority on the team by making 59 appearances, where he demonstrated his versatility playing in different roles.
He is primarily a right-back, but played as a left-back and also as a defensive midfielder before making the step up to the first team towards the end of the season.
A man of the match award in his debut match caught the attention of the Nigerian national team selectors, and head coach Eric Chelle handed him a late call-up to the team for the friendly match against Portugal.
Chelle gave him the start and played for 60 minutes before being replaced by Abdullahi Bewene in the match which Nigeria lost 1-2.
“We are happy that Christian wants to tie his future to our club. Due to his versatility, he is also an extremely interesting profile for the coaching staff. These guys give the coaches the opportunity to change during the match if necessary,” says head of football Dimitri de Condé.
Daniel Martin
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