Gary Neville makes Tanguy Ndombele claim in Spurs loss
Gary Neville has told Sky Sports (broadcast on 19/9; 17:13) that Tanguy Ndombele will never be fully appreciated in the Premier League as he admitted that he is not sure what to make of the Spurs midfielder.
Ndombele kept his place in the Tottenham lineup for Sunday’s clash with Chelsea. It came after an impressive showing in the Europa Conference League tie with Rennes on Thursday.
And in truth, he was arguably one of Spurs’ best performers against the Blues. Some of his touches were indeed able to get some of the fans out of their seats.
And it was during a stoppage in play that Neville expressed his conflicted feelings about the 24-year-old and his style of play.
“I don’t know what you make of him,” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t think anybody does. He’s one of those players that you watch and you think he’s a fantastic, technical football player.
“He takes the ball in difficult situations, he dribbles with it, he beats people. And then you sort of don’t see him then for maybe four minutes, six minutes, eight minutes and wonder where he is.
“I watch Ndombele and think there’s a lot of players like him in Spain, in Italy. Sometimes they fit those leagues better. I don’t think he’ll ever be appreciated fully over here because he doesn’t fit into a position or a type.”
Unlocking full Ndombele potential could prove one of Nuno’s biggest triumphs at Spurs amid Neville comments
There is no question that Ndombele remains one of the most talented members of the Spurs squad. He is definitely right up there.
However, it is telling that a number of Tottenham managers have struggled to unlock his full potential.
That meant that the writing appeared to be on the wall when he was linked with leaving in the summer.
Ultimately he stayed put. And after taking some time to force his way in, he now finds himself in Nuno’s plans.
He has definitely shown glimpses of what he can do. He produced an outrageous back-heel in the build-up to Spurs’ first goal in Rennes on Thursday night.
But it will surely be one of Nuno’s biggest triumphs if he can now get the very best out of the Frenchman in the coming weeks and months.
