Jose Mourinho opens up on why Tanguy Ndombele is not yet playing 90 minutes

Jose Mourinho has now opened up on exactly why Tanguy Ndombele is not yet playing 90 minutes consistently in a Tottenham shirt this season.

The French midfielder was purchased from Lyon in the summer of 2019 but endured a season to forget in his first Premier League year.

However, Ndombele has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance under Mourinho this season and now appears to be the go-to man for that number 10 creative midfield role.

Despite this, Ndombele is still often taken off around the hour mark to make way for some fresh legs, with Football London reporting that the Frenchman has only played 90 minutes twice from 20 appearances this season.

Mourinho has now claimed that, although he and his staff were displeased with Ndombele in a couple of games this season, there has been positive overall progress.

However, he added that playing 90 minutes amidst the intensity of the Premier League is another step entirely, hinting that Ndombele may not be suited to that kind of role.

He said (Football London): “We are happy, apart from a couple of matches where his performances were not good, overall there was a big evolution.

“I believe, to play at this intensity – Premier League intensity – and to last for 90 minutes is of course another step in the direction of his fitness.

“But he’s a player of course who is playing very well and is giving some good things to the team.

“There are players that naturally they have different qualities than others. Some players are very physical, some are very intense. Others are more explosive but they don’t last for 90 minutes. Or they have difficulties lasting 90 minutes.

“In his case, he’s adapting to a league that is not new, new, new for him but let’s forget last season where he didn’t play much and he had lots of injuries.

“And this season I believe to play at this intensity and to give the team what it needs with and without the ball, it’s not easy for him to last 90 minutes.”

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