Ryan Sessegnon has revealed that new Tottenham signing Ivan Perisic has already been giving him tips on how to improve as a young wing-back. Sessegnon admitted while on tour in South Korea that Perisic has already begun that process in helping him develop while he recovered from his own calf injury.
Ryan Sessegnon said: “I can learn a lot from him technically, mentally and physically. He’s already helped me with little pointers, tips about the way to affect the game more in an attacking sense and score more goals. Being in the box at the right time more often when the ball’s on the other side, being smart, using my brain, communicating a bit more. It’s healthy competition but whatever I can learn from him will help me in the long run. He’s scored a lot of goals in his career playing in that position. It can only help me going forward.”
Conte has told Sessegnon what he expects from him during what is set to be a big season for the club under the Italian.
Ryan Sessegnon said: “To be more effective. Defensively last season I think I was very good. You can always improve on that as well but my aim this season is to score more goals and more assists. More goals and assists will keep me in the team so that’s my aim. Before I signed at the club I was scoring a lot of goals at Fulham so I just want to get back to that this season. My aim is to play many games for Spurs. To get through the season strong and play many games. Then we’ll see what happens after that.”
It was pointed out to Sessegnon that he looks like he has been bulking up and he admitted that he has been trying to do that with not only his upper body but also to strengthen his legs around those troublesome hamstring muscles.
Ryan Sessegnon said: “I used the off season as an opportunity to get muscle into my legs – and my top as well. If you can see the difference then obviously it’s worked. “To make myself stronger and play more games, to have the capability to go up and down for the full 90 minutes. That’s one of my aims, to play most games available this season. I had a solid two weeks out in Portugal just before pre-season started, working with a trainer. Double sessions every day, upper body, lower body and just running a lot. Free weights and squats, hamstring work, obviously, because of my history. Making myself stronger in every aspect. It will help for sure, 100 per cent, because last season I was getting these injuries because places around my hamstring wasn’t very strong. I’ve managed to work in the off season doing all this stuff on my hips and my glutes to make it stronger in every area. I’ve moved the extra [muscle weight] around. I feel a bit strong. The running we’re doing at the moment any weight we put on we’re losing straight away.”
Sessegnon has been impressed by the club’s new arrivals – “the signings have been good and everyone’s fitted in well” – but it is one player already at the club and shining at the top level that the young wide man has forged a growing partnership with – Son Heung-min.
Ryan Sessegnon added: “We have a good partnership on the left. The more you play with him the more you understand his movement. The back end of last season I played a few more games and we were connecting well down the left side. His movement is very good and that makes him easy to play with. It’s all about communicating on the left when you don’t have the ball. So far it’s going good.”
One of Sessegnon’s England U21 team-mates, Djed Spence, is set to sign for the club once the final documents are signed between Middlesbrough and Tottenham and the Spurs man knows the right wing-back well.
Ryan Sessegnon said: “I know him from Fulham growing up. We played together in the Fulham academy. From what I’ve seen he’s an attacking full-back but that’s all I can say at the moment.”
Tottenham will be hoping that eventually Sessegnon and Spence bring similar success to their flanks as another British full-back pair did in Danny Rose and Kyle Walker under Mauricio Pochettino. Both their young successors have plenty of talent and now just need to establish themselves as Premier League stars.
