Noel Whelan has urged Tanguy Ndombele to work harder and make better contributions to the Tottenham team.
The Frenchman is one of the most skilful players at Spurs and he has the potential to become the club’s main creative player.
However, his work rate is poor and has been a well-discussed topic.
This saw him struggle to make an impact under the management of Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo.
Antonio Conte will attempt to get him back up to speed and former Leeds United man, Whelan says his talent is simply not enough.
He tells Football Insider: “Anytime we’ve spoken about Ndombele, he’s got all the talent but it’s not on the ball that we want to see that hard work. He’s got to be putting it in on the training ground.
“He’s got be working hard on the training ground. More importantly, he’s gonna be working off the ball for his teammates.
“Tackling, doing that horrible side of the game that’s very difficult for some people to get their head around. That’s what Conte is talking about. He knows there’s a player in there, we’ve seen it.
“We have seen the quality on the ball and we have seen the quality when he gets into the final third. It’s his off the ball attitude.
“Now Raphinha has got it, he works hard off the ball. He likes to involve himself defensively, in the midfield and in the attack.
“Now this is what Ndombele has got to try and learn and bring into his game. It does not matter whether in England or in Europe. You’re going to need to do that side of the football match.
“Otherwise managers are not going to play you. Players are going to end up wanting more out of you. More security, more help, especially when you’re playing in that midfield area.”
The Boy Hotspur Says
Ndombele should be one of the leading creative players in the Premier League.
When he is on the ball, it is easy to see that he is a very talented lad, but that is not sufficient.
Talent is not enough reason to just stroll through every game while your teammates work hard to get a result.
Conte is very demanding and if he cannot get the best out of Ndombele, then it is probably best that the club cashes in on him.