Jose Mourinho Praises Giovani Lo Celso's Mental Strength During Time at Spurs

14 February 2020 08:58

Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has praised the 'incredible personality' of Giovani Lo Celso after his recent resurgence in form.

The 23-year-old initially struggled to cement a spot in Spurs' starting XI following his summer loan move from Real Betis, but a number of eye-catching performances since the turn of the year has seen him become an integral part of Mourinho's team.

Giovani Lo Celso,Fernandinho

Lo Celso's transfer to Tottenham was made permanent in January, and Mourinho had nothing but praise for how he has overcome a difficult start. 

As quoted by football.london, he said: "First of all he showed an incredible personality because clearly, and I am not going to deny it because it is easy to understand it, when he arrived I didn't give him a big opportunity to play two or three matches in a row. He had to be strong mentally to cope with that. He had to be strong mentally to cope with that.

"When a new manager comes to the club and doesn't give you immediately chances I think maybe he feels, 'Wow, he is not in love with me, he is not as in love with me as other players'.

"Other players I give immediately starts and big matches to play, like I did with Danny Rose. With Gio, I didn't so he had to be mentally strong to cope with that."

Giovani Lo Celso,Raheem Sterling

The new Spurs boss further praised Lo Celso's quality and versatility on the pitch: "He can play number 10, number eight, double midfield player with Winks. He can play on the right side, on the left.

"He can play everywhere. I am so, so happy with him. That is it. I like him very, very much."

Mourinho confirmed that Lo Celso had returned to training following a groin injury that kept him out of Spurs' 3-2 win against ​Southampton in the FA Cup, and is in contention to return against ​Aston Villa on Sunday.

Ben Davies has also made a return to training over the winter break, recovering from an ankle injury suffered in Mourinho's first game in charge, but ​Erik Lamela is a doubt.

Erik Lamela

​Harry Kane and Moussa Sissoko are long-term absentees, with both players currently undergoing rehabilitation of their injuries in the hope of returning before the end of the season.

Source: 90min