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Tanguy Ndombele has finally opened up to scathing criticism from his own coach, José Mourinho, earlier this year.
Following a dismal performance against Burnley at Turf Moor in March, Mourinho replaced the club’s record 65m signing at half-time before criticizing him in his post-match press conference.
‘In the first half we had no midfield,’ Mourinho had bluntly said, before adding: ‘But I’m not going to escape and I have to say that he [Ndombele] you’ve had enough time to get to a different level.
“I know the Premier League is difficult and some players take a long time to adapt to a different league. But a player with his potential has to give us more than he is giving us, especially when you see how Lucas (Moura), (Giovani) Lo Celso and those players are playing. I expected more from him in the first half. ”
Since that incident at the end of last season, Ndombele has played his way back to Spurs’ regular plans and has now opened up to the impact Mourinho’s words had on him.
The 23-year-old told Sky Sports News: ‘Your words didn’t hurt me. They didn’t necessarily motivate me either.
‘It was just something that I assimilated and took on board. Of course it’s not something you like to hear, those kinds of words, but that was last season and we’re looking to the future. ‘
Tottenham broke their generally conservative spending habits to make Ndombele their record signing in July 2019, after paying Lyon £ 65 million for his services and handing the player a six-year contract.
After a bad start with Mauricio Pochettino, Mourinho came in and Ndombele still wasn’t up to his price. Their relationship was clearly cold and Ndombele only made 12 Premier League starts all season. It was reported that he had sought a transfer with interested players like Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
An infamous video of his pitiful defense against the Lobos, in which Pedro Neto ran past him while Ndombele barely started jogging, went viral. When asked about the video, Mourinho responded with a laugh.
On the contrary, the midfielder has appeared in all six Spurs league games so far this season, starting four, but still feels he can reach new heights in the Premier League and prove persistent skeptics wrong.
Ndombele added: ‘I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Tanguy Ndombele yet. I’m on the right track, but there is more to come. ‘
“Between France and England there is a real difference in the intensity of the matches. Last season my head was not in the right place. This season is going much better. ‘
Last month Mourinho insisted that he finally “believes” in Ndombele after seeing a change in his attitude.
After Ndombele scored the winning goal against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in their Europa League clash, Mourinho said: ‘Tanguy is in a process of evolution. Last season it wasn’t. He was stuck in a situation where he couldn’t see evolution.
‘Now he is at a time where he is training very, very well.
Now I believe in Tanguy. I never doubted his ability but last season I doubted his effort and motivation. Now I think Tanguy can do well for us.
Then after Ndombele reached 90 minutes for the first time in 2020 in a 3-1 win over Shkendija, Mourinho said: ‘I’m very happy. He brought a very good dynamic to the team. It has gone in the right direction.
“I don’t want the players to complain, I don’t want the players to feel frustrated, I don’t want the players to feel like I have something against them when I don’t choose them. I want the players to fight for the minutes they want on the field. ‘
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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