Lutonda: "I expected place in starting eleven"

SATURDAY, 3 AUGUST 2019, 10:14 - lajoya
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INTERVIEWS Thierry Lutonda made his debut last weekend in the first team of Anderlecht. The 19-year-old from Liège fell in as the right back. Lutonda played a strong preparation and seems ready for a permanent place in the A-team. "But I still have a lot of work ahead of me."


Based on his performance in the friendly games, everyone had expected Lutonda and not Hotman El Kababri in the starting eleven Sunday. "Me too", he admits shyly at La Dernière Heure. "But Hotman is a right-back by training. I feel better on the left and hope to make a career in that position too. The coach putting me back on the right means that he thinks I have the capacity to do this. But the adjustment was difficult because I never played there. "


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Lutonda was the left back at the U21 last season, but he hasn't played in defense for that long. In the youth he usually stood as a central midfielder or higher on the left wing. "As a result, I still have to make progress on the defensive level," he admits. "I also need to become stronger physically. I still have work to do."

Anyway, Lutonda seems ready for the breakthrough. "My goal was to make the transition to the first team after two years with the U21. Since the start of the preparation, I have not returned to U21 once. That is a good sign, but nothing is certain."