Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has hinted at game time for Bryan Gil when he returns from injury.
Ahead of the Premier League meeting with Liverpool, the Spurs manager believes the 22-year-old has the right qualities to fit into his team.
Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference according to football.london that Gil’s presence in the team is “beneficial”, especially after Ivan Perisic’s injury.
The Spurs talent underwent surgery in August on a groin injury and missed the start of the season.
Gil hoped to have a chance to impress Tottenham’s new manager in pre-season but he was unable to do so due to injury.
The Spaniard also missed Tottenham’s pre-season tour of Australia, Thailand and Singapore.
“He definitely fits our structure”
However, Postecoglou allayed fears about what might happen to Gil in terms of playing time once he returns.
“He was unlucky because he had a few injuries since the start of pre-season that didn’t allow him to train with the team,” the Spurs coach said.
“He had a good year on the outside last year and he certainly plays a position where guys with his characteristics can definitely fit into our structure.
“It will be good to see Bryan get back up to speed over the next few weeks, training with the team and then obviously with Ivan out, we are one behind in those big areas so it’s safe to have him at the club to have “advantageous.
Gil joined Tottenham in 2021 and showed first glimpses of his “stunning” quality, leading Spurs icon Graham Roberts to label him a “little superstar”.
Granted, he hasn’t really taken off since then, but few players under previous Spurs managers have.
Postecoglou, to great effect, created opportunities for Tottenham players who were previously on the sidelines.
For example, look how good Yves Bissouma is now.
I hope it will be the same with Gil. It’s nice to know that Postecoglou would like to use it when it becomes available again.
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Luis Diaz could have started against Liverpool if events had unfolded differently in January 2022
Had Daniel Levy’s plan been implemented in January 2022, Liverpool’s preparations for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would have been very different.
Such practices would likely have focused on how Jurgen Klopp’s side would go about thwarting the threat of Luis Diaz, with Trent Alexander-Arnold facing another important test of his defensive abilities.
Instead, Liverpool have the intervention of Klopp and Pep Lijnders to thank as the Colombian makes his sixth start of the Premier League season in London on Saturday.
While Tottenham wanted to iron out the details of a call-up for the former Porto player, Lijnders received a five-minute warning from former sporting director Julian Ward during a mid-season ski holiday with his wife that he and Klopp would be loaded. with the sale of the Anfield dream to Diaz.
Speaking to the striker alongside Klopp and Ward, the Reds assistant coach explained his vision for improving Diaz’s game and was quick to point out how to train with Virgil van Dijk,
Andy Robertson and Alexander-Arnold would guarantee the striker would continue. its exponential rise.
Perhaps the most influential moment in convincing Diaz to end talks with Tottenham in favor of a potential £50m move to Anfield was the moment Ward, who took the call from the AXA Training Centre, told gave the 26-year-old a virtual tour of the Reds’ trophy cabinet and explained his vision for Diaz to etch his name into the club’s illustrious history.
Some 18 months after signing the dotted lines, Diaz is looking to replicate the brilliant start he made on English shores in the final months of the 2021/2022 season, quickly fulfilling Ward’s earlier wishes and helping secure a League and FA Cup double Cup. at Anfield.
However, a devastating knee injury, suffered at home to Arsenal in October 2022 and subsequently recurring during a mid-season training camp in Dubai, would scupper the striker’s chances of building on his early success at Anfield while Liverpool failed he managed to score in his absence and managed to become champion. Qualification for the competition.
This time, however, Diaz has been tasked with leading the way for Liverpool 2.0, with the striker taking on a new responsibility highlighted by his bold decision to follow in the footsteps of Kevin Keegan, Sir Kenny Dalglish and Luis Suarez by taking on the role of history full of history. Shirt no.7 shortly after James Milner’s departure.
“I might have felt like a little bit more of a role model, I think, with the way the guys on the team and the coaching staff treat me now,” Diaz said earlier this month.
“Even though I feel it a little more lately, I feel really comfortable and don’t feel any additional responsibility.
I think this is something we all share equally, from back to front on this side.
“We have some great players up front and so this is a shared responsibility for everyone.
We are all available for selection by the coaching staff, so whoever starts and plays well will do their best to help the cause.”
If on-pitch performances are any indication, then Diaz has clearly had no problem carrying the weight of such a long history at Anfield in the opening weeks of the season.
He scored in Liverpool’s first two games before sparking Wolves’ impressive comeback. .
“On a personal level it was a good start, excellent in fact,” Diaz added.
“I’ve really improved lately and I’ve really improved since the injury. I think all the work I did during the time I was away was good for me.
“I feel in much better shape. The pre-season went really well, I felt really good the whole time, and starting off on the right foot was very important for me and also for the team.
“I scored a few goals and had some good moments during the games, but I feel like I have a lot more to offer.
And I know I will offer even more. As a group, the team looks and feels good too. I think this year will be a much better year for us.”
At a time when competition for places is at an all-time high with the recent arrivals of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, Diaz has staked his claim as an undeniable part of Liverpool’s new attack.
And with Tottenham still reeling from Harry Kane’s departure, only Ange Postecoglou knows what he would give to avail of Diaz’s services this weekend.
Now set for his first visit to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium with Liverpool, Diaz gives Saturday the chance to ensure Levy is forever haunted by the ghosts of January 2022.
