Spurs lost 3-2 at home to Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday with Tanguy Ndombele left red-faced by Pedro Neto.
Jose Mourinho has spoken out in support of Tanguy Ndombele after a video emerged showed the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder making a seemingly half-hearted attempt to stop Wolves’ Pedro Neto in his tracks, speaking to Football London.
It’s fair to say a £55 million midfielder has not enjoyed a dream debut season on English shores.
There have been a few moments of sublime quality, see that stunning strike against Aston Villa on opening day and a barnstorming 20-minute masterclass versus Bayern Munich.
But, for the most part, Ndombele’s first few months as a Tottenham player have been overshadowed by rather unflattering moments like this…
Mourinho, a hard task-master who has been tougher on Ndombele than most, was not willing to throw the France international under the bus again however, instead choosing to point out that Neto is no slouch when he’s in full flow.
“Pedro Neto is very fast. Pedro Neto is very fast,” Mourinho said, repeating himself to get the point across.
“Traore, Jota, Pedro Neto, Podence, they are all very, very fast and it was impossible for Tanguy to get him.”
Unfortunately for manager and midfielder, the clip paints a rather different picture.
It is far too early to write off a player with such supreme technical ability but, after a season disrupted by a lack of fitness and form, Ndombele could really do with making headlines for the right reasons going forward.
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