Player can use Tottenham love-hate manager relationship as Sunday motivation

Jose Mourinho and Tanguy Ndombele had a complicated relationship when the pair were at Tottenham.

The manager clearly rated the midfielder’s talents, and even took him training in public during the peak of the Covid-19 lockdown, but Mourinho also questioned Ndombele’s application and went public with his frustrations.

That was typical Mourinho and somewhat typical Ndombele, with the player having frustrated a series of managers so far in his career.

Antonio Conte didn’t see a place for the 25-year-old in his Tottenham squad this season, so he was allowed to go out on loan to Napoli for the current campaign.

Injuries to others has seen Ndombele become more important to the Italian club over the past week and he has a good chance of starting Napoli’s next match.

That game is on Sunday and against AS Roma, who are managed, of course, by Jose Mourinho.

There’s talk in Italy of the player being able to prove a point in the match, and AreaNapoli quote the editorial staff of Radio Marte as saying: “He was with the Portuguese coach at Tottenham and had a love-hate relationship with the Special One. One more reason to show him, also as an opponent, what he is worth.”