‘His words didn’t hurt me – but he didn’t motivate me either’: Tottenham star Tanguy Ndombele speaks out on boss Jose Mourinho’s repeated jibes at him – but even he admits fans haven’t seen the best of his talents yet
Tanguy Ndombele has finally opened up on the scathing criticism thrown at him by his own manager Jose Mourinho earlier in the year.
Following a dismal performance against Burnley at Turf Moor in March, Mourinho substituted the club’s record signing at half-time before singling him out for criticism in his post-match press conference.
‘In the first half we didn’t have a midfield,’ Mourinho had said bluntly, before adding: ‘But I’m not going to run away and I have to say he [Ndombele] has had enough time to come to a different level.
Jose Mourinho caused a stir when he publicly criticised record signing Tanguy Ndombele
‘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, Lo Celso and those players are playing. I was expecting more in the first half from him.’
Against Burnley in March Ndombele looked well off the pace and was substituted at half-time
Since that incident at the end of last season, Ndombele has played his way back into Spurs’ regular plans, and has now opened up on the impact Mourinho’s words had upon him.
The 23-year-old told Sky Sports News: ‘His 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 that you like to hear, those sort of words, but that was last season and we are looking to the future.’
Tottenham broke their usually conservative spending habits to make Ndombele their record signing in July 2019, after paying Lyon £65million for his services and handing the player a six-year deal.
The midfielder, who was also linked with the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, still feels he can reach new heights in the Premier League and prove any lingering doubters wrong.
This season things are looking up for Ndombele, and the player himself expects big progress
Ndombele added: ‘I don’t think we have seen the best of Tanguy Ndombele yet. I’m on the right track but there’s still more to come.’
‘Between France and England there’s a real difference in the intensity of the matches. Last season my head just wasn’t in the right place. This season it’s going a lot better.’
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