(DDM) – Atalanta manager Ivan Juric has insisted he will not beg Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman to feature for the club, despite the player’s recent return to first-team training.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that Juric acknowledged the situation as difficult but stressed that no player is bigger than the club or its values.
Naija News reports that Lookman, 27, had been absent from training earlier this summer after submitting a transfer request in a bid to leave Bergamo.
Several offers, including multiple approaches from Inter Milan, were turned down by Atalanta, leaving Lookman’s push for an exit unsuccessful.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Serie A fixture against Lecce, Juric described the circumstances as unpleasant but insisted on the importance of humility and work ethic at the club.
“This is an unpleasant, difficult situation. With Lookman, I have a very good relationship, but I don’t have to beg him to play,” Juric told reporters.
He added, “On the contrary, we are Atalanta, and we represent the city. We need what Atalanta represents: work, humility. They are different values. I do not have to pray to anyone. We are all convinced that Atalanta needs strong values on a human level.”
Naija News reports that Lookman, a Super Eagles star, scored a memorable hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final and was linked to several top European clubs during the transfer window.
Despite the interest, no deal materialized, leaving him to return to Atalanta under strained circumstances.
While Juric has allowed Lookman to rejoin full training with the squad, he will not feature in the weekend clash against Lecce.
The club aims to carefully manage both the player’s reintegration and the dressing room dynamics.
Atalanta, who finished the previous Serie A season strongly, will rely on other attacking options to maintain momentum in the early weeks of the campaign.
Lookman’s long-term future at Gewiss Stadium remains uncertain, with his role likely to depend on how quickly he embraces Juric’s philosophy of humility and hard work.