Bournemouth star Semenyo planning Liverpool repeat ahead of Man Utd clash
Antoine Semenyo is hoping to top his goal against Liverpool earlier this season by downing Manchester United on Saturday.
The Bournemouth forward silenced the Kop end at Anfield by scoring after just three minutes before the Cherries succumbed to a 3-1 defeat back in August. Even in defeat, that strike set the tone for Semenyo's season.
The 23-year-old has been one of the Cherries' standout performers under new boss Andoni Iraola, registering three goals and an assist in 12 Premier League appearances, and is likely to feature prominently when Bournemouth tackle a Manchester United side in crisis.
Semenyo admits that his strike at Anfield is probably the highlight of his career so far - but another goal at Old Trafford in front of his United-supporting friends could change that. He tells Mirror Football: "Scoring in front of the Kop end, I don't think it gets much better than that...but scoring against Manchester United would definitely be on a par!
"Old Trafford speaks for itself. It's one of the best stadiums in the world. They're a tough team to play against, but these are the challenges to embrace. As a kid you want to play against the top teams and now that it's here, I'm ready for it. It's probably a good time to play them."
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Semenyo, who grew up in a quiet corner of Welling in south east London, comes from a football family: his father, Larry, played in Ghana, while his younger brother, Jai, is on the books at Cardiff City.
He may be living his dream playing against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United week in, week out, but Semenyo admits he almost turned his back on football for good after being rejected by Crystal Palace at the age of 16. That setback hit hard, but his love of football endured.
"It was definitely tough. I love the game; I'm passionate about it. At the time I thought I was going to get signed if I'm being honest. But that didn't happen and it was heartbreaking. You learn from these experiences, though, and they shape you."
After being convinced to attend an open trial, Semenyo worked with former Leeds United coach Dave Hockaday at his college set-up in Swindon before following him to Bristol. It didn't take long for his prodigious talents to be noticed by Bristol City.
Semenyo scored against Liverpool at Anfield earlier this season (George Wood)The fact that Bournemouth came calling last January came as no surprise to anyone with a decent EFL schooling. But Semenyo had to adapt quickly after walking into a Bournemouth team battling hard to preserve their top-flight status. By his own admission, it was a challenging period; his 11 league appearances, the majority of which were fleeting and from the bench, yielded a return of just a solitary goal.
He adds: "It definitely wasn't [an easy situation to come into] but I was ready to take on that challenge. When I first joined it was hard to get used to the pace of the games. That was definitely tough.
"I knew that every point was vital, so I tried to do whatever I could for the team, whether that was coming on for five or 10 minutes here and there. It was a tough period but I'm happy to say I rode the wave.
"You learn from those experiences and it's helped build my character. I knew I had to grow. It's taken me a bit of time but I've done that. The thing for me is hard work. I know I've got ability and raw talent so I just want to showcase to everyone what I can do."
Semenyo has flourished under new head coach Andoni Iraola (Robin Jones)A shin injury curtailed Semenyo's season shortly after opening his Premier League account against Leeds. The timing of said setback meant he was a bystander as the winds of change rung through the south coast outfit over the summer.
Bournemouth's decision to dispense with Gary O'Neil in an attempt to evolve with Iraola caused a stir in weeks building up to the 2023/24 campaign. But after a tricky start, that decision has been vindicated as the fruits of the Spaniard's labour start to show.
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The Cherries have amassed 13 points from a possible 18 over the last six games and have gone over a month without defeat since a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City. They ride into Old Trafford in a buoyant mood following the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in midweek and Semenyo is convinced that any teething problems the club experienced during the early weeks of Iraola's premiership are firmly behind them.
It was, he admits, a tough transition to the intense, high-pressing principles Iraola swears by. Fortunately for Semenyo, the approach marries up with several of his own attributes. A key element of Iraola's philosophy is transitioning with direct, diligent wingers: Semenyo has the perfect profile for such a role.
Semenyo has registered three goals and an assist for Bournemouth so far this term (Eddie Keogh)He adds: "It wasn't easy. There were quite a few changes and obviously the start of the season was a bit frustrating, but we knew it would come together. It's properly clicked now and we're showing everyone that we are a good team.
"It's very, very intense. High-pressing is one of my things: I like to hunt people down. I feel like that side of things suits me and my style of play. I feel like I've got the skillset to play out wide; I like to dribble and create stuff out of nothing whenever I can, so it suits. It's definitely working for me at the moment."
It's clear after spending time in his company that Semenyo is the same humble, unassuming individual that lived and breathed football in his youth. When he says becoming a Premier League footballer hasn't changed him, you genuinely believe him. It will come as no surprise to learn that both he and his family went above and beyond to help neighbours during the countrywide lockdowns at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On the pitch, he still harbours ambitions to make that No.9 spot his own. Semenyo's blend of pace, trickery and diligence make him a natural fit for a wide attacking berth. His end product has improved and only Dominic Solanke (nine) has registered more goal contributions under Iraola so far this term.
So how would he assess the past 12 months? "It's been really good," he concludes. "I've enjoyed every moment; the good and the bad. I feel like there's a lot of me that I want to show everyone so I just need to keep going.
"Everyone's very family-orientated here and that was one of the things that drew me to the club. Everyone made me feel welcome when I came and I've really felt the love.
"I feel like we've got such a good team but a lot of people underestimate us because of the first couple of games. We'll surprise a lot of people if we show what we can do. I think we can definitely finish a lot higher in the table."
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