Gary Lineker raves about Tottenham Hotspur star Ryan Sessegnon despite FA Cup defeat
Speaking on the BBC after their live coverage of the FA Cup (h/t Mirror), former Tottenham Hotspur ace Gary Lineker said he was impressed with Spurs star Ryan Sessegnon despite the team’s 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough.
The Lilywhites were knocked out by Boro in the fifth round of the cup competition, ending the north London side’s quest to end their trophy drought this term and hand manager Antonio Conte a title in his debut season at the club.
Lineker, who won an FA Cup with Spurs and is an icon for the Three Lions, said that he loved the match-up between Sessegnon and Boro’s Isaiah Jones, who he claimed to be the two most exciting full-backs in the game.
“Sessegnon vs Jones, probably two of the most exciting full-backs in our game.”
The English full-back made the move to Spurs in 2019, after impressing as a teenager in the Championship with Fulham. At the time, the defender was an up-and-coming talent who was touted to be one for the future.
“Faith in him”
Despite a high-profile move to N17, the ex-Fulham man struggled to make an impression at Tottenham due to the competition that lay ahead of him. Given his age, there were much more experienced players ahead of him in the pecking order, and Sessegnon had to make do with limited appearances under several Spurs managers.
Lineker said that it could very well be Sessegnon’s time at the club from here on, after impressing Conte in recent weeks and getting a consistent run in the lineup, despite the team’s inconsistent form.
“It’s five games consecutive that he [Sessegnon] has played. It’s good that he is getting a run in the side. Conte obviously has faith in him.”
The left wing-back seems to be ahead of Sergio Reguilon and Ben Davies, which is a massive achievement considering the experience Davies has and the fact that Reguilon was only recently purchased by the Lilywhites in 2020 to improve their squad.
While Conte has seen his Tottenham team be terribly inconsistent this term, the Italian can be happy with the fact that Sessegnon is showing some stability in the side. He has been one of the few positives for the head coach this season.
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Wing-backs are an important facet of Conte’s style of play, which means that he would expect players in the role to be at their best. It is a testament to Sessegnon’s performances of late that he has seen a consistent run of games, while Conte has experimented with his options on the opposite flank.
Only 21, the Englishman can only get better with age and will hopefully use this platform to kick on and continue to impress Spurs fans. It will be interesting to see just how far the defender gets in his Tottenham career in the coming years.
