Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana has insisted his status with the Belgian national side hasn’t changed, despite Youri Tielemans being made captain and competition from Nicolas Raskin.
[L’Avenir cover comments](https://www.lavenir.net/sports/football/diables/2025/11/12/de-ketelaere-et-onana-sexpriment-avant-le-depart-des-diables-pour-le-kazakhstan-je-me-sens-bien-en-pointe-mon-statut-na-pas-change-3ME27P74FZABVMXCFLZLMTWLCA/) from the Aston Villa midfielder today. He’s linked up with the Belgian side for the international break. They take on Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein in World Cup qualifying.
Winning against the former in their first game will secure qualification for the World Cup next summer.
Onana is back in the squad and likely to be a key player for Rudi Garcia’s side. He’s established himself as a regular for them over the last few years.
His role in the team has been put under threat, though. The emergence of Raskin means he is now a regular in the squad as well, while Tielemans is also a regular starter. In fact, he was named as permanent captain this year, almost guaranteeing him a starting role. Kevin de Bruyne is also still in the picture for the Red Devils.
The Aston Villa midfielder isn’t concerned about the competition. In fact, he insists that his role in the team absolutely hasn’t changed.
_“I feel great right now. It wasn’t easy after my injury, but that’s part of the game, and I’m happy to be back,”_ he said.
_“No one is indispensable, we are Belgium. We have a lot of quality, and we are well-stocked in midfield. It’s good to see a Belgium with so many top-level players \[…\] My status hasn’t changed. The coach trusts me, but it’s up to me to repay that trust on the pitch.”_