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With a transfer to Naples, Dendoncker is hoping for more playing opportunities with a view to the upcoming European Championships. — © Isosport
After Cyril Ngonge, a second Belgian has found his way to Naples. Red Devil Leander Dendoncker will join the Italian champions on loan from Aston Villa until the end of this season, the club announced on Friday. Napoli also negotiated a purchase option.
With the move, the 28-year-old defensive midfielder wants to increase his chances of winning the European Championships in Germany next summer. Dendoncker signed for Aston Villa in the summer of 2022 but barely played. This season the total was just 289 minutes, spread over fifteen games. He managed to score once. In total he only made five appearances, barely once in the Premier League.
This means that he is no longer guaranteed a place in the Red Devils selection. While he was almost always there under Roberto Martinez, he was only nominated once by his successor Domenico Tedesco. In June he was a regular player when the Belgians couldn’t get beyond a 1-1 draw against Austria in the home European Championship qualifiers. Dendoncker then dropped into central defense alongside Wout Faes. This was his 32nd international match for the national team.
Dendoncker comes from Anderlecht’s youth academy and ended up in the first team in 2014. Together with his friend Youri Tielemans, his teammate at Villa, he excelled in midfield for several years. This earned him a transfer to Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018.
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