Atalanta: Ademola Lookman is back, but Ivan Juric makes him no promises

Ademola Lookman is back on the field for Atalanta after the long summer tirade that ended without his transfer to Inter and a tail of controversy that lasted for weeks. The Nigerian striker did not miss the train for his national team, rejoining coach Eric Chelle’s call-ups despite the very few minutes on the field accumulated this early in the season. Yet Ivan Juric still does not seem willing to guarantee him a starting shirt, also considering the rapid rise of Kamaldeen Sulemana.

“Both Lookman and Ederson played against Bruges – Juric reminded -Whether they are on the field against Como or not depends on their condition. The path they have both taken, however, is certainly the right one to regain their best form. Tomorrow they could both start from the’beginning, or come in in the second half. We will see”.

In the meantime, however, came also the’praise of Sulemana, already his protégé in his ill-fated Premier League adventure at Southampton. “His start was positive, and he is also improving from the point of view of the spirit of sacrifice – said Juric -. The same goes for other youngsters who are getting space in Atalanta this year. Like Bernasconi, who from the start has always been committed, has already grown a lot and can still improve. Before giving an initial assessment we will see how tomorrow goes, to get a picture of the first six days of Serie A. Already in the Champions League we have reacted well, after PSG”.

There is therefore plenty in attack, not only with the possible dualism between Lookman and Sulemana, but also that between Charles De Ketelaere and Lazar Samardzic. Greater, however, are the unknowns in defense. “I have never had so many injuries in my career, but we will make our evaluations on Hien as well. There could be some readjustment, but four-man defense could also be a solution. We will see today how training will go, then we will decide”, Juric concluded.