Moussa Sissoko has admitted that he told Tanguy Ndombele to keep working hard in training and assured him that his fortunes will change following the midfielder’s struggles in his first season at Tottenham.
Ndombele failed to live up to expectations in his first season at Spurs following a big-money move from Lyon in 2019.
He struggled to get game time after Jose Mourinho took over from Mauricio Pochettino and it appeared as if there was plenty of bad blood between the midfielder and the Portuguese coach.
However, the 23-year-old has improved considerably this campaign and has been one of Tottenham’s best players so far.
Mourinho has even publicly praised him for the way he has adapted to the demands of English football.
Sissoko admitted that it was natural for young players like Ndombele to struggle to adapt when arriving at a new team.
The 31-year-old told Tottenham’s official website: “Everyone can see what Tanguy is doing at the moment.
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“Of course, last season was a tough season for him. I can say that’s normal because when you are a young player and you change countries, you go somewhere where you are living alone and don’t speak the language, everything is different, even the league, where you play, you need time to adapt.
“That was my case as well, when I first came to Tottenham.”
Sissoko also admitted that Ndombele’s talent was never in doubt insisted that we have not seen the best of the former Lyon man just yet.
He added: “I said to him to stay calm, stay patient, and just to work hard in training and try to understand everyone here.
“Everyone knows he has talent, and everyone is sure he will perform.
“You can see this season that he’s showing a lot of quality on the pitch and we are all happy to have Tanguy in that form.
“I think he will even improve during the season, but what he is doing and showing is good at the moment.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Ndombele is a joy to watch and one of the few players in our squad who is capable of running with the ball and making things happen. Once he gets fit enough to complete 90 minutes regularly, we are going to have some player on our hands.
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