- Aug 24, 2011
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We need to be patient with him and support him rather than slagging him off at every opportunity. Yes it's frustrating given that he's our record signing but that's the reality of the situation. We can all see his talent, and with the full support of the club's sport science and nutrition resources behind him I think it's only a matter of time before he reaches a level of fitness that allows him to fulfill his full potential unless he truly is so unprofessional as to be unable to get his diet and conditioning in order. I doubt very much that will prove to be the case in the long term, but it does seem we won't see him at his best this season.
We have to keep in mind that this is only his third season at the top level and that his fitness has always been his biggest issue. It was the reason why he was cut from his academy as a teenager and was toiling in the French fifth division until being picked up by Amiens in the second division and then being scooped up by Lyon. He had the maturity then to up his levels to allow him to progress in France, so I don't see why it should be assumed that he won't have the discipline needed to take a second leap. He chose to come to the world's most physically demanding league instead of skirting by in Italy, I can't imagine that he doesn't have the desire to reach his best level.
We'll just need to be patient because when he does reach that level, we may very well have one of the world's best midfielders on our hands. If he were already at his best he'd have been out of our league. To me this situation is similar in a way to the club buying a young Modric or Bale and guiding them along to the world class level over the course of years. He's got that kind of ability, it's just going to require a bit of patience.
We have to keep in mind that this is only his third season at the top level and that his fitness has always been his biggest issue. It was the reason why he was cut from his academy as a teenager and was toiling in the French fifth division until being picked up by Amiens in the second division and then being scooped up by Lyon. He had the maturity then to up his levels to allow him to progress in France, so I don't see why it should be assumed that he won't have the discipline needed to take a second leap. He chose to come to the world's most physically demanding league instead of skirting by in Italy, I can't imagine that he doesn't have the desire to reach his best level.
We'll just need to be patient because when he does reach that level, we may very well have one of the world's best midfielders on our hands. If he were already at his best he'd have been out of our league. To me this situation is similar in a way to the club buying a young Modric or Bale and guiding them along to the world class level over the course of years. He's got that kind of ability, it's just going to require a bit of patience.