Ledley King has insisted to the Beautiful Game podcast that Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele has ‘unbelievable ability’.
Ndombele has struggled during his first season at Tottenham, with his desire called into question.
The Frenchman is now being linked with a swift move away from Tottenham by The Telegraph, with Barcelona believed to be interested.
But King believes that Spurs’s record signing will come good in time, as he has seen how much ability the midfielder has on the training ground.
“I tell you what I see, I see a player with unbelievable ability,” King said, when asked about Ndombele.
“But it has been difficult for him. I think it started in pre-season, he picked up an injury and he found the pace of English football and the training totally different to what he was used to. I think he struggled at first and then picked up an injury. When that happens you’re playing catch-up throughout the season.
“But he’s got unbelievable ability, you don’t lose that overnight. He just has to learn about the pace of the Premier League. We’ve seen flashes of brilliance and it’s about him regaining his full fitness.
“I’m sure given a good run in the team you’re going to see how good this player is.”
Ndombele has indeed shown real class in possession, but it it out of it where he has struggled.
The 22-year-old has offered very little protection to Tottenham’s defence and he has not made himself available to his teammates enough.
The hope is that Ndombele will be much improved next term, with a year’s experience of English football under his belt.
But if he doesn’t make a dramatic turnaround, his time at Spurs will have to be viewed a major disappointment, considering the vast fee that Tottenham paid for him last year.
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