Super Eagles forward and African Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman, has returned to Atalanta’s first team training after talks with head coach Ivan Jurić about his situation at the Italian club, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Europa League winner has been absent from the team’s training since July after the Bergamo club turned down a bid from Inter Milan for him. Despite an agreement between the Milan club and Lookman, the club decided not to sanction the move because it fell short of their valuation. In addition, a deal could not be reached with German champions Bayern Munich on deadline day, as the club failed to respond to the loan offer.
After the transfer window closed, the 27-year-old, who had not played a minute of football this season, featured for Nigeria in this month’s World Cup Qualifiers. He played in the 1-0 victory against Rwanda in Uyo and the 1-1 draw with South Africa in Bloemfontein.
Both parties have now decided to find a resolution to the matter, and that will see Lookman return to first-team training. He is expected to make his return to competitive action for the club when they face Torino in the Serie A on Sunday.
The forward’s return adds some boost to the side’s frontline options, as he hopes to also regain match fitness and sharpness ahead of next month’s World Cup Qualifiers with Nigeria.
Lookman was not listed in Atalanta’s squad for their Champions League opener against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, which ended in a 4-0 drubbing. Meanwhile, Jurić’s men remain unbeaten in Serie A, though two draws from their first three outings have them sitting in seventh place with five points.
