Atalanta's Gasperini Reveals Lookman’s Path to Becoming a "World-Class" Player

2 weeks ago 1

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini has hailed Ademola Lookman's growth at the Italian club
The 27-year-old winger helped Atalanta secure its first European trophy last season when they won the Europa League
Lookman was ranked as the 14th-best player in the world in the recently concluded Ballon d’Or award

Ademola Lookman is enjoying the finest spell in his career and his manager at Atalanta has stated the reason for the Nigerian winger’s recent success.

The 27-year-old forward has been a pivotal member of Gian Piero Gasperini’s team since joining the Italian club after previous stints with RB Leipzig, Fulham, Everton, and Charlton Athletic.

Lookman's rise to stardom has been marked by outstanding performances, notably a remarkable hat-trick that ended Bayer Leverkusen's 51-game unbeaten streak as he helped Atalanta win the Europa League last season, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Nigerian winger also has the highest number of goal involvement in Serie A in 2024 with an impressive 17 goals and 11 assists for Atalanta, including a brace against Napoli to end Antonio Conte team’s unbeaten run this season.

Lookman, who finished in 14th place in the Ballon d’Or rankings, is the leading contender to succeed Victor Osimhen as the Africa Player of the Year when the award ceremony takes place in December.

Gasperini hails Lookman’s exceptional growth

Atalanta's manager Gasperini has outlined the key attributes that transformed Lookman into a “world-class” player under his watch, Complete Sports reports.

“He (Lookman) has had a fantastic evolution. Lookman already did well alongside Rasmus Hojlund, then had Gianluca Scamacca and De Ketelaere as partners before Retegui. “At this moment, he is among the top players in Europe and that means on the world stage too.“He is still in the running to win the African Player of the Year Award, but the most important thing is his evolution and consistency.” Gasperini confessed.

Lookman will hope to replicate his outstanding performances when Atalanta tackles German outfit Stuttgart in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.

Kanu backs Lookman for CAF award

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that former Arsenal and Nigeria striker Kanu Nwankwo shared his pick for the 2024 African Footballer of the Year award, stating that his favourite is Lookman.

Kanu expressed that there could be no better choice than the Atalanta star, praising Lookman’s work ethic and humility.

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Source: Legit.ng

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