Thursday, 24th July, 2014
Charni Ekangamene is hoping that leaving Manchester United for Belgian side Zulte Waregem pays off, with the midfielder well aware of the strides Chelsea starlet Thorgan Hazard took at the club.
Hazard spent the last two seasons on loan at Zulte Waregem, taking the Jupiler League by storm and catapulting Zulte Waregem into the role of title challengers.
The attacking midfielder has now left for a loan spell with Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach, but Zulte Waregem are delighted to have signed Ekangamene on a four-year contract from Manchester United.
"I love all the beautiful memories of my three years in Manchester", he told Sportwereld.
"I grew up in Antwerp, but I did have a lot of Dutch people around me in Manchester.
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"I have three weeks to catch up with the group."
And the 20-year-old feels he lands at Zulte Waregem with good experience behind him.
"I trained with, among others, [Adnan] Januzaj, [Marnick] Vermijl and several Dutch boys. I also learned a lot in January when Carlisle loaned me for two months. I learned that nothing beats playing in the first team of a club."
Ekangamene arrives in Belgium with high expectations, hoping to use Zulte Waregem as a launchpad in the same way Hazard did.
"Of course I know Thorgan Hazard played here last season, but I do not want to compare myself with anyone", he said.
"I'll just give everything for myself and for Zulte Waregem."
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