Anouar Aït El Hadj (Genk) finds Anderlecht: “I know I will be whistled but I will not celebrate if I score”

Shall we talk about this goal against Cercle?

“My pleasure (laughs).”

Is this the best of your career?

“We can say that, yes. But I like goals where I come back on my right foot and then roll up. It’s a bit my special thing but scoring from outside is more complicated.”

It symbolizes your rebirth since the start of the playoffs…

“They trusted me. The coach (Editor’s note: Vrancken was fired After the interview) told me he was counting on me and that I was going to play. I was released and that allowed me to succeed in my playoffs so far. I am proud to have been able to show my true level after a season without playing much. I see myself evolving in recent weeks, I position myself better, I am better in front of goal.”

Are you back to your Anderlecht level?

“I feel like I’m going back to being the person people knew at that time anyway. With one difference: I have hardened myself. I put more foot into the duels and I protect the balls better.”

Your value has been divided by five on the reference site Transfermarkt (from 6 to 1.2 million). Does this affect your morale?

“It really doesn’t impact me. I just have to have big matches and it will improve.”

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Can you be satisfied with your season knowing that you only played a little before April?

“No, I’m disappointed with my season. It’s normal. I’m finishing my season well, I’m there when it’s important. We will remember that.”

You only had 10% playing time in the regular season…

“The coach decided so. I respect him. I always gave my best but you have to wait your turn. I showed that I deserved minutes but I didn’t get them.”

Did you regret signing for Genk?

“Not for a second. I learned a lot here.”

What else can Genk hope for this season?

“Our goal has always been to win a European ticket and we are currently fighting to get there. We might have thought it was an achievement at the start of the playoffs but when we see our season, Europe is already very good. If we finish fourth, the season will be successful. But that’s the minimum, we don’t want to go down in the rankings. ”

How do you explain the difference between Genk at the start of the playoffs and the one who has just lost three games in a row?

“I can’t explain it. We were building up to the playoffs to start them off in a pretty magical way. The desire was incredible. Beating the Union gave us an incredible boost. Against Bruges, we were very bad and we took 4-0. We didn’t give up, we wanted to react and beat them at home. We weren’t efficient enough. This is an observation from the last matches. We score once and concede 11 goals.”

Impossible to aim for the title with such figures…

“You can’t do anything with a record like that. ”

You will start for the first time at Lotto Park wearing the jacket of another club. What does that do to you?

“It will be a bit strange to be back on the pitch, the supporters. It’s as important a match for them as it is for us. I am at Genk and I will not give Anderlecht a gift.”

What kind of reception do you expect?

“I know I’m going to get whistled. I’m going to get some big whistles. I will have to stay focused on my match and do my job. I played at Anderlecht, I respect the club. The supporters can whistle at me, it will not change my opinion of the club. Besides, I also received messages of support from some.”

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Why are you so sure you will be unwelcome?

“When I came on in the 89th minute in the classic phase, I was whistled. Then, I also felt the tension during the last match here. ”

You celebrated the victory without restraint and the supporters did not appreciate it…

“I am a footballer and my goal is to win. The context was important because we were in the title race. It had nothing to do with Anderlecht. I just considered that we had played a big match against a big team and that’s why I celebrated. There was no intention of taking revenge. I just did my job. So I consider being able to celebrate.”

What if you score at Lotto Park?

“There, I’m not celebrating. I respect the club. On the other hand, if we win the match, I will celebrate the victory with my team. I am now part of the Genk family.”

Francis Amuzu said he was still in contact with you. Is this the person you are closest to in the Anderlecht locker room?

“We talk every day. What if I’m his daughter’s godfather? No, let’s say I’m a distant uncle (laughs). Francis and I never let each other go. We often go to eat together. He’s more than a friend. We form a small group with Majeed Ashimeru, Moussa N’Diaye and Amadou Diawara.”

Killian Sardella, on the other hand, explained to us that he had cut ties with you…

“There were problems outside of football and we preferred to break the link. I’ll shake his hand, do the right thing, but we’re not going to laugh or hang out anymore.”

A Source also told us about tensions with Zeno Debast. Is this proven?

(he is surprised) “No never ! I still get along very well with Zeno. We still see each other often, we are friends. We still saw each other at mini-football games and things like that.”

So this has nothing to do with your departure from Anderlecht?

“No, I just left because I wasn’t playing. I would have preferred to stay at Anderlecht, play and show my qualities but after the departure of Vincent Kompany, that no longer worked. When Felice Mazzù arrived, he made choices, I didn’t play. He told me he had his team and that I didn’t fit into his system. When he arrived, Brian Riemer told me that he planned to have me play, that he wanted to go for the title. I liked him, I thanked him but what I experienced in Anderlecht after Kompany left was too much. I wanted to turn the page and leave. I left on good terms with everyone even if the club preferred that I not sign for Genk.”

Did the link break?

“I felt that without Kompany, I no longer had my reference person at the club. I was feeling alone. It wasn’t going to work. When I had Kompany on the line, I told him it was going to be me against the rest of the world. He reassured me a lot but I no longer felt important at the RSCA.”

This link with Kompany may seem strange from the outside because he didn’t do you any favors during his second season as coach!

“He treated me a bit like his son. When I came back from vacation in bad shape, he was angry, he punished me. He told me: “Until you lose weight, you won’t play.” As soon as that was the case, he put me back on the field. Refaelov started to work well but I still had the opportunity to get into the game.”

Which was no longer the case with Mazzù…

“I was often at home or in the stands. It was hard to live with. I saw the others, I was hungry. I would sometimes play for half an hour and then I wouldn’t be picked up again.”

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Were you close to a move to Burnley?

“We discussed it with Kompany to find out if it could be done in January 2023 but it was too complicated.”

But that doesn’t stop you from meeting him again one day…

“I would love to work with him again. Why not ? If he wants me, the door is open.”

Will the rest of your career take place in Genk?

“My future is to play. Next season will be important for me after 18 months without playing a series of matches. I have to have 25 or 30 matches to show what I am capable of. And it’s here in Genk that I want to do it.”

And in the national team?

“I was recently called up for the Belgium U21s and the Morocco U23s. I will announce my choice soon. Whether I am selected or not in June, I will make a final choice which I will not normally return to.”

Was the choice difficult?

“Not really actually. It was natural. But I needed to be more mature before deciding.”