SHOUT, SHOUT, LET IT ALL OUT
Sessegnon ready to raise the volume and finally do his talking on the pitch
BAYERN MUNICH v TOTTENHAM
Group B: 8pm RYAN SESSEGNON joined Spurs for big nights like these.
The England Under-21 star hopes to make his first start tonight at Bayern Munich, since his £25million summer move from Fulham and finally get his Tottenham career up and running.
It has been a strange first few months to say the least for the 19-year-old.
He arrived with a serious hamstring injury, had to wait three months for his debut, then the manager he signed for – Mauricio Pochettino – was sacked. Luckily, his new boss has taken an instant liking to him.
Jose Mourinho tried to sign him three times while in charge at Manchester United and has compared him to former Chelsea and England defender Ashley Cole after finally getting to work with him.
Mourinho has taken Sessegnon under his wing to give the England prospect some advice, which the softly spoken left-back admits is much-needed.
“He just sat me down, told me to be myself, told me to be a bit more vocal because I’m quite a quiet player and person in general,” said the teenager.
“He wants me to show a bit more personality, show a bit more of me, show I want to play, show I will fight for my place in the team, a lot of strong words really,
“I definitely need to be more vociferous, 100 per cent. I’m still young but I’m someone who needs to be more vocal around the pitch, off the pitch and I really want to stamp my ability on this game.
“I have to work hard to break through into this team and really show I can do that. It’s a fair point he’s made.”
Sessegnon is respectful towards Pochettino. With every big club chasing his signature, it was the Argentinian who persuaded him to pick Spurs. “He was a big part of me coming to the club,” he added.
“I knew they had been watching me for a while and to finally get the opportunity to come to the club and play under him was a dream