Indy Boonen

Random question, but does anyone know if he is related to Tom Boonen(the cyclist)? Or is Boonen a common surname in Belgium?

Tom's the mainstream brother.
 
Thought this was bumped to say he was in the squad for tomorrow but nope, just a boring irrelevant post instead :boring:
 
Jose strikes again. Never gives youth a chance. I’ve literally heard of him in the last 2 mins, and now believe he’s going to be the next Salah or KDB - the club is such a shambles, I’m not sure how we will ever replace him. Gutted.
 
Anyone know why?
I'd say he fancies his chances of playing first team football relatively quickly there under a manager who he has worked with in Belgium's underage setup whereas at United he has competition from players the same age or younger who play in the same positions as him such as Dearnley, Gribbin, Buffonge, Chong, Gomes, Barlow, Burkart, Baars, Bohui, Ramazani & Greenwood
 

Last year he sporadically ran between Lukaku, Pogba and Sanchez, on Tuesday he trained for the first time in the shirt of ... KV Oostende. With the 19-year-old Indy Boonen, the coastal team already got a player to look forward to: "At United I learned a lot, but now it's time to play."

He was one of the few players with whom he had a conversation after the first training session. Just to say how hard Gert Verheyen believes in youth international Indy Boonen, who made the switch from the U23 from Manchester United to KV Oostende this summer. The youth product of KRC Genk made a well-considered choice with a view to playing, as consciously as when he chose for an adventure in England when he was 16: "I left for Manchester as a young boy and have now returned to maturity. In the beginning my parents were present, but afterwards I lived alone. I can cook and do the laundry. In the beginning it was difficult, but now I can take care of myself on my 19th. "

Players who enjoyed their youth training in England often had difficulty breaking through in our competition. Mathias Bossaerts, who was plagued by many injuries, is an example of this after his training at Man City. Boonen wants to do everything to refute this fact: "I am very happy with the choice I made and have become a better player in England. I needed this. If I had stayed with Genk, it would have been completely different. Here it was always the same and I always played in the same position. There I became a man and I learned to play at different positions and in different systems. At United I learned a lot, but now it's time to play ", says the offensive midfielder.

"Januzaj becomes an absolute winner"
Boonen went through the youth series from United to the U23 team, the U23. Last season he was allowed to train several times with the A-team, which Romelu Lukaku has also been part of since last season: "The first team, that was a different world. You were hardly looked at, not even by Lukaku. I had a few friends, like Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia, with whom I still have contact. Mourinho? He did not look at me. He gave me a hand, like all players, but was otherwise very distant. He isolated himself with a few of his players. Never have we spoken, even though I was a fixture in the promises team. Who made the biggest impression on me? Undoubtedly Rashford. His speed, technique and shot ... incredible. Today we have contact once in a while. I also often worked together with Januzaj. He now plays at Sociedad, yet he becomes an absolute winner. What he can do with a ball ... Do not forget that he is only 23 years old. "
Many clubs were in line for Boonen, including some English teams and his ex-club Racing Genk: "Returning to Genk, I did not feel good about that. I knew Gert Verheyen from the national U19 and we have a good relationship of trust. At Ostend, I want to be the best on training every day and I hope that there will soon be a playground. Whether I can become a basic player, that is to be seen. You can do your best and have already proven something, yet you will not just throw a basic place in the Belgian league in the lap. "

Father Jacky Boonen
Boonen is, according to insiders, a big promise, although it remains to be seen whether he will be able to stand his ground. The slender midfielder is very explosive, has a good dribble, fit and vista. It is already a player to look forward to at the start of the new season. So does his father, Jacky Boonen, who used to make a career at Lierse SK, SK Beveren and Sporting Lokeren: "He is busy with me every day, even though he is very critical. Often he says that it is bad, but then I hear him say to my brother (goalkeeper Seppe who plays at Roda JC, ed.) That it was actually good (laughs). Did I surpass him after my period at United? Anything but. He was a professional football player for 15 years, while I have not proven anything yet. "