After a long feud with Atalanta, Ademola Lookman got his first minutes of the season at Torino on Sunday….
Atalanta coach Ivan Juric has praised Super Eagles attacker Ademola Lookman following his first appearances of the season in their 3-0 win over Torino on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Lookman has been at loggerheads with Atalanta since the start of the just-concluded summer transfer window.
The 27-year-old Super Eagles star had an agreement with Atalanta to let him leave in the summer. But despite offers from Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, they refused to let him go.
Lookman did not take the matter lightly, as he openly declared his desire to leave the club and even went on strike to prove his point.
However, despite his remonstrations, Atalanta refused to sell him, and he eventually had to return to training at the end of the season.
But since the season started in August, Lookman has not played for Atalanta. He missed the first two games of the season, but there were speculations that he would return to action last week against Lecce.
However, that didn’t happen. During the pre-match conference for that game, coach Juric even questioned his mentality and commitment to the team.
Nonetheless, all the concerned parties eventually reached a compromise last week, as Lookman started working with his teammates and was named in the squad for their trip to Turin.
What Juric Said About Ademola Lookman
Atalanta up a solid showing and claimed a 3-0 win over Torino. Ademola Lookman didn’t start, but he was introduced into the game in the 87th minute and looked quite sharp.
Although Lookman did not do much, Atalanta boss, Juric expressed his satisfaction with the Nigerian’s performance. He also noted that the reason Lookman had problems with the club was due to the influence of people close to him.
“He (Lookman) spoke to me and the team on Monday, he was surrounded by people who had given him some bad advice.
“He has a great winning mentality and now we need to get him back in shape physically,” Juric said.
Next up for Atalanta is a big game against Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday, and Lookman will be hoping to get more minutes and regain his place in the starting eleven eventually.