Tanguy Ndombele admits he found the intensity of Tottenham’s Premier League opener against Aston Villa difficult to overcome but insists he will adapt to English football quickly.
The midfielder, who became Spurs’ record signing after joining from Lyon this summer, scored the crucial equaliser as the hosts came from a goal down to beat the newly-promoted visitors 3-1 at the new stadium. Harry Kane netted two late goals to secure the points.
It is believed Mauricio Pochettino was about to substitute Ndombele just before he scored. The Frenchman had struggled on his competitive debut for the club but oozed confidence after bagging the leveller, showing a glimpse of what he could offer this season.
Speaking to French TV channel Canal+ after the game (via Goal), Ndombele evaluated his performance.
“As I have said, I am not used to scoring, so, it’s good for me and for the team,” said the 22-year-old.
“The most important thing is that we won today. It was difficult for me. The football moves quicker here, there is more intensity.
“In France, often when you win the ball you try to calm the play down, but here you try to push forward immediately. And I am going to try to adapt as quickly as possible.
“This is a nice squad, the young ones as well as the older ones, the squad seems quite harmonious, it is a squad that has gotten close over several years. I am just trying to integrate and do what is needed on the pitch.”
Pochettino was happy enough with Ndombele’s display, suggesting the France international was only playing at “30 or 40 per cent” of his potential level – read more about those quotes here.
It will be interesting to see how Ndombele gets on against Manchester City next week. One of his most impressive performances for Lyon came at the Etihad in the Champions League last season.
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Twitter nation has already label Tanguy a bust after 45 minutes. How can anyone enough their team when you sit there commenting on every second of the game.