Cesare Prandelli reveals how Gian Piero Gasperini developed Ademola Lookman

• Ademola Lookman continued his impressive run during Atalanta's 5-1 win over Genoa on Saturday
• Lookman provided an assist for Mateo Retegui the opening goal amidst other goal-scoring chances
• Former Atalanta head coach Cesare Prandelli has praised Gian Piero Gasperini for his development

Former Italy national team head coach Cesare Prandelli praised Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini for the development of Ademola Lookman.

Lookman, who joined Atalanta permanently in 2022, sprung to life last season, netting an incredible 17 goals and 10 assists, topping it off with a hat trick in the Europa League final.

Ademola Lookman celebrates with Sead Kolasinac after scoring for Atalanta against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League. Photo by Max Maiwalld.
Source: Getty Images

He also had an excellent outing for Nigeria at AFCON 2023, scoring three goals to help the Super Eagles reach the final, where they lost to the host country Ivory Coast.

As noted by BBC Sports, he is the favourite to win the African Footballer of the Year Award after being the only African on the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d'Or.

Cesare Prandelli applauds Gasperini

Prandelli, who managed Atalanta in a short spell from 1993 to 1994, has noted that Gasperini deserves praise for how he transformed the Super Eagles star into a complete player.

"Lookman reminds me of Di Natale if we really look for a comparison,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.“One thing is certain: he had never scored so many goals, Gasperini completed him. He has stamina, devastating counterattacks on 30-40 meters, and always heads for the goal: his dribbles are never an end in themselves, but to attack the area.”

The Nigerian forward has three goals and two assists in six games this season after putting behind Paris Saint-Germain’s interest to focus on the Bergamo-based club.

Antonio Di Natale, whom he drew comparisons to, is a two-time Capocannoniere, having won the Serie A Golden Boot in back-to-back seasons with 29 goals in 2009/10 and 28 goals in 2010/11.

Boniface picks his African Best

Legit.ng reported that Victor Boniface snubbed Ademola Lookman as the next African Footballer of the Year, admitting he is also deserving of the award after his season at Bayer Leverkusen.

His Super Eagles teammate is the favourite and holds the advantage over Boniface with his performance at AFCON 2023, which the German-based forward missed due to injury.

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Source: Legit.ng