France manager Didier Deschamps has delivered his verdict on flop Moussa Sissoko’s time at Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham shelled out £30 million to sign the French winger from Newcastle United in the summer of 2016.
But he has failed to impress or establish himself since, scoring just twice in 70 appearances in all competitions for Spurs.
He has fallen out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino, who dropped him in Tottenham’s clashes with Arsenal and Juventus recently, but it looks like he hasn’t lost the faith of France coach Didier Deschamps.
“One just has to look at the Euro final to see what he (Sissoko) is capable of,” Deschamps told SFR Sport.
“Aside from that, if you are going to ask him to do what Kylian Mbappé or Kingsley Coman does, he is a completely different player. I like him, he is not my teacher’s pet, but I would say that Moussa is the prototype of a soldier, he has gone from Toulouse to working under Pochettino, even if with the latter it was initially a little difficult.
“He does not complain, whether he plays two minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes or starts the match… He is very well liked by his team-mates and feared by his opponents.”
Quite what Tottenham, or indeed even Newcastle fans, will make of Deschamps comments is another thing altogether.
Sissoko became a hate figure at St James’ Park as he failed to lift the Magpies who were duly relegated.
He has fast become a figure of frustration for Spurs fans
The midfielder boasts power, pace and a ferocious if erratic shot.
But he rarely pulls everything together on a consistent basis. Ironically he did on one of the biggest stages when he helped France to the Euro 2016 final but since then it has been all downhill and Sissoko seems a sure bet to be on his way out of the North London club this summer.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
