Ten Cate goes ga-ga over Omar Abdulrahman

Matt Jones - Editor 01:12 08/03/2016
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Omar Abdulrahman left Al Ain for Al Hilal in 2018.

    Al Jazira coach Henk ten Cate is the latest name to sing the praises of UAE superstar Omar Abdulrahman, with the former Barcelona and Chelsea assistant claiming ‘Amoori’ could play in any league in Europe.

    The darling of the Garden City yet again pulled the strings for Al Ain in their 3-1 Al Clasico victory against the Pride of Abu Dhabi at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, and although the Dutchman was disappointed in defeat, he admitted he was still able to appreciate the talents of the 24-year-old.

    “We played against a very good team in Al Ain. For me they are the best team in the league with a player, No10 (Abdulrahman), who in my opinion can play in any league in Europe,” said the 61-year-old, who briefly coached Al Ahli in 2009.

    “He’s a fantastic player. Even I, as the coach of the opponent, enjoy watching this guy play.

    “He has so many touches, so sensitive you know, and everything he does, when he gets the ball, is alerting the stadium, because you can expect something good is going to come. Fantastic player.”

    Ten Cate and his team have largely impressed since he arrived at the end of December, although a promising start to his tenure at the capital city outfit has diminished somewhat as defeat to the Boss means he has now overseen three defeats in his last four games.

    The loss, however, was masked by the absence of several stars, with Park Kong-woo, Yaqoob Al Hosani, Angel Lafita, Salem Ali, Salim Rashid and Abdulla Mousa all missing either through injury or suspension.

    “Of course we made individual errors which is normal if you play with so many players who hardly play a game, but the spirit in the team was very good,” enthused Ten Cate.

    “We have to lift up the spirit of the players because on Thursday we face another very tough opponent in Al Nasr, but I believe in this team and the spirit they have.”

    Recommended