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José Mourinho has praised Tanguy Ndombele for going through a “great evolution” at Tottenham, but said the midfielder still has some way to go before he can be trusted to complete 90 minutes for the team.
Ndombele endured a difficult debut season at Spurs after joining from Lyon for a club record fee of 62 million euros (55.45 million pounds) in July 2019, and particularly when Mourinho arrived as a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino four. months later. The Portuguese was clearly not impressed with the player’s level of fitness, with the nadir in their relationship reached in March when, following a 1-1 draw with Burnley, Mourinho criticized Ndombele, saying: “I know adjusting to the Premier League is difficult but he has had enough time and he has to give us more than he is giving us ”.
The Frenchman seemed destined to leave in the summer, but instead he has not only held on but thrived, presenting 20 times in all competitions, his most recent appearance being his best. Ndombele stood out in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Wolves, causing all sorts of problems for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side from a forward free role and opening the scoring with a long-range shot in the first minute.
“We are happy, except for a couple of games in which his performance was not good. In general, there was a great evolution, “said Mourinho. “He is a player who is playing very well and is giving some good things to the team.”
In addition to what Ndombele is doing, it is surprising that he has played a full game only twice this season, and not once in the Premier League. The 24-year-old has admitted that he finds it difficult to adjust to the intensity of English football, but has insisted that he has worked and is working to catch up. Mourinho clearly believes that he can do more.
“In his case, he is 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 had a lot of injuries,” said Mourinho. “This season I think that to play with this intensity and give the team what it needs with and without the ball, it is not easy for him to last 90 minutes. Playing with this intensity, Premier League intensity, and lasting 90 minutes is another step in the direction of his fitness. “
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Ndombele will have another chance to perform from start to finish for Spurs when they host Fulham on Wednesday. Gareth Bale, however, will be out “for a few weeks” with a calf injury, while Lucas Moura and Carlos Vinícius are also unlikely to play, a blow to Mourinho, who is looking to guide his team to a first victory of league in five games. .
“Regardless of the results, it is always difficult and Fulham is now playing differently, they forgot some of the principles they believed in,” he said. “They have new principles of the game, they are obtaining very positive results. It will be difficult “.
