Villarreal manager Unai Emery has urged Samuel Chukwueze to find consistency in front of goal after his heroics in their 5-1 thumping of Levante on Sunday.
The 21-year-old ended his goal drought in La Liga with a brace at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia that helped Villarreal secure a commanding away win and rise to fifth on the league table.
The last time the Nigeria international scored a league goal was on November 2 when he opened the scoring in the Yellow Submarine’s 2-0 victory over Real Valladolid.
Emery was full of praise for Chukwueze’s talent and quality, but he wants the versatile forward to work more on his finishing after he equalled the three goals he scored in the Spanish top-flight last season.
“He’s a very young player who has to find consistency,” Emery told the club website about the Nigeria winger. “We need to take steps forward with him and be demanding.
“He’s a footballer with great quality. He has a lot of talent, but he needs to improve in front of goal. Today he put in a great performance and managed to score.”
Chukwueze has been a key player in Unai Emery’s team this campaign having played in 34 matches across all competitions with a contribution of four goals and five assists to his name, including three La Liga goals.
While also praising Villarreal’s overall effort in Levante, Emery added that he is keen on bolstering his squad with more competition in all positions.
He continued: “It’s a convincing win that gives us a lot of confidence and reinforces the work we’re doing. We’re focused on continuing to find resources that help the team’s internal competitive nature and help us grow as a team.”
Next up for Villarreal is a La Liga match against 16th-placed Deportivo Alaves on Wednesday before they take on Barcelona at the Estadio de la Ceramica four days later.