Juric: ‘Lookman was very fair with me’ before Atalanta rebellion

New Atalanta coach Ivan Juric insists transfer rebel Ademola Lookman was ‘very fair with me and explained his thoughts’ before abandoning training.

The situation has overshadowed their pre-season, as Lookman was infuriated by the failure to accept an offer worth €45m including add-ons from Inter.

He posted a long statement criticising the club and then walked out on training over a week ago, refusing to attend until the sale is completed.

However, Juric has provided an olive branch in case the Nigeria international wants to return.

Juric opens door to Lookman peace

“Ademola was very fair with me, he explained his thoughts,” Juric told L’Eco di Bergamo newspaper.

“We just have to accept the situation. It’s sad that it got to this point. I trained the team when he already had a calf injury, then this happened, so I never really got to work with him. At least it meant that it didn’t influence the squad.”

It has been a summer of profound change in the Atalanta camp, with the departure of Mateo Retegui and Matteo Ruggeri, but above all coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

Juric was chosen because Gasperini was his mentor, before beginning that nine-year tenure in Bergamo.

“Gasperini had an era here at the same level of influence as Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United,” said the coach.

“We lost players who provided 80-90 per cent of our goals and it won’t be easy to replace them. I don’t think anyone will arrive who can replicate the numbers provided by Retegui or Lookman, but we must reinforce with intelligence and widen our list of alternatives.”

Gianluca Scamacca has returned from practically a year out with knee injuries, but is not at 100 per cent after such a long period on the touchline.

“He is growing gradually and I want to get him straight into the mix for squad rotation, but with so many tournaments, we also need another option for the attack to be competitive on all fronts,” concluded Juric.