da supremo： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da 888： Tottenham Hotspur wing-back Ryan Sessegnon has said that manager Jose Mourinho has compared him with Chelsea legend Ashley Cole, per The Daily Mail.
What’s he said?
The 19-year-old joined Spurs in the summer when Mauricio Pochettino was manager.
However, it appears that Mourinho has already taken a shine to the teenager, who has confirmed that the Portuguese even compared him to Cole, with whom he worked at Stamford Bridge.
The latter, of course, won three Premier League titles throughout his career, along with the Champions League, the Europa League and seven FA Cups across his spells with Arsenal and Chelsea.
Sessegnon said: “As soon as Spurs appointed him, it was exciting.
“He’s a big manager in the game, he’s won things and as a young player, you can only look to improve yourself under him.
“He’s always talking to me, giving me pointers and tips where I can improve. He’s a manager who obviously wants to win things which is one of the reasons why I’m here.
“It’s flattering to be compared to someone like that, someone who I think is a great player and for someone like the manager to put my name in the same breath as Ashley Cole was big for me.
“It does give a lot of belief and confidence for upcoming games and it makes me want to work even harder to get more.
“I definitely had an eye on Ashley Cole when I was growing up. I was an attacking full-back, very aggressive but can also go forward and supply goals, assists and he was definitely one of the players that I looked up to.”
Binning his reputation
Doubts were expressed over Mourinho’s ability to blood youth when he was appointed by Spurs.
The former Real Madrid and Inter Milan manager has often been known for bringing older players into his clubs and prioritising proven winners over anything else.
However, the advice he is giving Sessegnon shows that he could well buck that trend.
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Should he bring the 19-year-old into the first-team and give him an extended run, be it either on the left wing or at left-back, he could alter his reputation.
It’s a win-win, too, with the possibility of the ex-Fulham man thriving and the ex-Chelsea boss enhancing his image in the process.
Meanwhile, Spurs can finally play without pressure.