Super Eagles and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman made his long-awaited return for the club side last week in their 3-0 win over Torino, Soccernet.ng reports.
Before that, the 27-year-old last played for La Dea on the 25th of May against Parma in the 2024/2025 season.
Lookman’s attempted move to join Inter Milan in the summer transfer window landed him in hot water. Atalanta were adamant in not letting the CAF Player of the Year join another Italian side.
As a result, the England-born Nigerian absconded from first-team training and skipped pre-season fixtures.
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When the transfer window closed, he returned to training, but not with the first team, as the club maintained that the route he took deserved some punishment.
He travelled down to Nigeria to play against Rwanda and South Africa, and clearly didn’t look like the Lookman we all knew.
After the International break, Lookman returned to Atalanta and was immediately reinstated to first-team training, although the club’s CEO and coach maintained he had to show more determination to return to the pitch proper.
Atalanta boss states plans for Lookman
Lookman was dropped from the games against Lecce and Paris Saint-Germain before coming on for the final three minutes of Atalanta’s win over Torino last weekend.
With the former RB Leipzig man still struggling with fitness, the club coach Ivan Juric, ahead of Atalanta’s clash against Juventus, mentioned he wants to ease Lookman into the squad to avoid injuries and to put him in the best condition to get the best out of him.
“After a period of work apart and with Spring on the cards, we must find the best conditions,” the former Southampton head coach said in quotes revealed by Tutto Atalanta.
“He [Lookman] is training well: we will increase the minutes gradually, until we bring him back to full strength,” the 50-year-old concluded.
In an ironic twist of fate, the 2024 UEFA Europa League winners are considering offering Lookman a fresh contract.