Sessegnon hopeful that ‘healthy competition’ with Perisic will bring best out of him
Ryan Sessegnon believes that competition with Ivan Perisic for a place in the starting eleven will help push him to the next level.
Sessegnon has failed to live up to his potential since his move to Tottenham in 2019 but the youngster has shown plenty of promise at left wing-back since Antonio Conte’s arrival at the North London club.
The 22-year-old has started both of Spurs’ Premier League clashes against Southampton and Chelsea so far this season, finding the back of the net in the 4-1 win over the Saints.
Conte has publicly praised Sessegnon after the win over Southampton, with the Italian admitting that he wants to see the England Under-21 international score more goals this season (Football.London).
Sessegnon has now said that it was a ‘priceless feeling’ to find the back of the net and spoke about the demands of the wing-back role in Conte’s system.
He told The Telegraph: “It had been a while. I hadn’t scored for a long time. That feeling of arriving in the box at just the right time is a priceless feeling. It’s (wing-back) probably one of the hardest positions in the team at the moment.
“The manager wants you to contribute going forward, but obviously defensively as well, so you have to have that engine to go up and down. That’s one of my strong suits, but it can always be improved. I’m trying to get even fitter all the time.”
Sessegnon has his work cut out to keep his place in Spurs’ starting elven following Perisic’s arrival this summer.
However, the youngster insisted that the Croat’s arrival can have a positive effect on his game as he can learn from the former Inter Milan man.
When asked if he thought his game time would be limited following Perisic’s arrival, Sessegnon responded: “I had a different attitude. I never saw the [competition] situation like that. I saw it as a chance for me to improve and get help from him.
“Now he’s in the team and I know him a little bit, he’s helped me straightaway, in pre-season. He’s a good guy. He’s been helping me a lot. It’s just healthy competition.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Working with someone of Perisic’s experience and quality can only be good for Sessegnon’s development. Although I expect the Croat to establish himself as the first choice at left wing-back, with Spurs trying to compete on all four fronts this season, the 22-year-old will certainly get plenty of game time.
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