RYAN MIGHTY
Sessegnon has added a stone of sheer muscle in a bid to become a regular England heavyweight
RYAN SESSEGNON has beefed himself up by an incredible 14lb over the last year and is now ready to become an England heavyweight.
The Fulham teenage sensation has been on the fringe of the main international squad since he was mentioned as “one for the future” by Gareth Southgate in May. First, though, the 18-year-old has to manage the transition from Championship to the Premier League, a process that continues today at Everton. And the youngster who can play leftback or left-winger is determined to show he is anything but a top-flight makeweight. Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic said: “Some people say he’s not strong enough to be a defender. They are completely wrong.
“He’s actually now seven kilograms bigger than when he started working with us, that’s seven kilograms of muscle on his body. You can detect a big difference.
“He was 16 when we started working so you are comparing a 16-yearold man-kid to somebody who is now an 18-year-old man.
“In this period he’s grown up, he’s strong, faster and bigger. Once he was a skinny kid, now he is a skinny man!
“I don’t know a winger or a defender who is stronger who can stop him. He must use this power in a legal way, with the experience he will use the body, use more physical contact.”
Next step for Sessegnon is to strong-arm his way into the senior England set-up with Southgate set to name his squad on Thursday for the UEFA Nations League games against Croatia and Spain – although the November friendly against the USA might be a more obvious opportunity to blood new talent. Three Lions left-back contender Luke Shaw has been in decent form for Manchester United but Danny Rose has been in and out of the Spurs team. By contrast, there is no stopping Sessegnon at the moment.
“I never spoke to Southgate about him, but I spoke to people from the FA before the World Cup,” added Jokanovic (above). “I’m sure before long he will be part of the English national team. How many times, we will see.
“You can be impressed with his physical performance. On top of that, he is clinical in the opposite box.”