Ademola Lookman played a crucial role in securing victory for Gasperini’s men in Atalanta’s victory against Cagliari
Atalanta’s manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, has lauded Ademola Lookman’s impressive performance in their victory against Cagliari, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigerian international, who faced a dip in form towards the end of the 2022-23 season, has made a triumphant return.
He recently netted two goals in his last three appearances for the club, breaking his goal drought in the Super Eagles’ 6-0 victory against São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gasperini acknowledged Lookman’s resurgence, describing him as quick in dribbling and insertions, always dangerous in shots.
“Lookman is at a good time too, he pulled a lot today. Unlucky in the crossbar. He seems to be fine, he is fast in dribbling and insertions, always dangerous in shots.” He said, as quoted by Gianlucadimarzio.
The former Leicester City star was on the verge of surpassing his countryman, Victor Osimhen, in the Serie A top scorers chart but couldn’t catch up due to his injury setbacks.
He also fell out of favor in Gasperini’s starting lineup and was benched in a crucial tie against the Serie A reigning champions, Napoli, which many believed he would start.
“It’s not that I don’t like Højlund; he faced a strong opponent, and you can’t always be decisive. Perhaps Zapata performed better that day. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
“The same goes for Lookman; he contributed significantly at the start of the season, but one subpar game doesn’t change everything,” he previously defended his actions.
Recently, Gasperini emphasized that Lookman’s development could continue and hinted at giving the Nigerian winger more playing time in the future.
“He, too can grow, miss fewer passes and tie the game more. The team, apart from the renewed attack and Kolasinac’s entry, has remained essentially unchanged, for years now. Even today, when we made the changes, Toloi, Pasalic, and Muriel came in. Let’s hope, going on with the games, to start including the other guys who were on the bench today as well.” he added.
Atalanta are gearing up to face Verona in an away match, with the goal of narrowing the gap on the top four. They currently sit just one point behind Juventus, who occupy 4th place in the Serie A standings.
