Jose Mourinho has told Football London that Tottenham forward Lucas Moura is a ‘top professional’ for how he approaches games.
The Spurs boss even claimed that he is ‘never worried’ about the speedster because he takes his job in a ‘very serious way’ regardless of whether he is starting or not.
It will be interesting if Moura is selected from the get-go for Tottenham’s Europa League tie against Dinamo Zagreb today because that two-goal cushion can go any direction.
Ahead of today’s game, Mourinho spoke in awe about how Moura conducts himself as an individual.
“He’s one of the players you’re never worried about the way he approaches matches,” said Moura. “With Lucas, there are not question marks about the things that I consider the basics of football.
“When I say basics, probably not the right word. The fundamental. The fundamental and the basic. The fundamental is that you take your job in a very serious way. Doesn’t matter if you start, if you are on the bench, if you are in the stands, there’s no need for hypothetical extra sources of motivation.
“It’s what I used to call, a professional from head to toe. He’s this kind of player. After that he plays better, not so good, score, doesn’t score, play right, play on the left, play in the centre, play as a striker like he did last season.
“For him, the things that are not negotiable are the fundamentals. For me, he’s one of the players I totally respect because he’s a proper professional.”
That semi-final against Ajax will live long in the memory of many Tottenham supporters and a moment to cherish for Moura.
The £23 million speedster (BBC Sport) produced the greatest night of his career on that evening, but it is form he has been looking to produce on a more regular basis.
Not scoring hat-tricks every week, but putting more fear into the opposition’s eyes because on his day he can be unstoppable.
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