“That’s something I like to do” – Ryan Sessegnon reveals his desire to emulate Chelsea duo “doing very well” now

Ryan Sessegnon of Tottenham Hotspur is drawing inspiration from Chelsea's Reece James and Ben Chilwell as he returns from injury under new manager Antonio Conte.

The England Under-21 international recently made his third appearance of the season against Leeds as a substitute for Sergio Reguilon. He is now scheduled to start in the Europa Conference League against NS Mura on Thursday.

After thriving in both the Championship and the Premier League, the left-back moved to North London for £25 million from Fulham in 2019. The teenager arrived with high expectations following a deadline-day move to Spurs under then-manager Mauricio Pochettino. However, injury problems and an inability to break into the starting XI have limited Sessegnon to only 14 appearances for the club.

In a recent interview, Sessegnon said:

“They’re [James and Chilwell] doing very well offensively and defensively for Chelsea this season. At every opportunity, they’re arriving in the box, scoring goals, getting assists. That’s something I like to do as well. Credit to them, they’re playing very well for Chelsea at the moment in a similar system to what we’re playing where for me I can get in the box, score and create chances.”

Ryan Sessegnon thinks he can thrive under new manager Antonio Conte

Ryan Sessegnon in action for Tottenham Hotspurs

Newly appointed Spurs manager Antonio Conte is known for using wing-backs, so it's no surprise that Sessegnon sees the Italian's arrival as an opportunity to reclaim his previous position. The Roehampton-born player explained:

“The formation [under Conte] is perfect for me. To play on that left wing-back position is probably where I feel most comfortable playing and it suits me as well.”

When asked if his return against Leeds signaled the restart of his career, Sessegnon said:

“Yeah, you could say something like that. When I was at Fulham, I was young, playing every game and, like you say, people were speaking about me. In football things don’t always go your way, ups and downs in your career. This could be my chance to really kickstart my career here and to progress. I’m very relaxed about the situation and just looking forward to the future.”

Conte clearly recognizes Sessegnon’s untapped potential as well. He added:

“Now he’s [Sessegnon] ready to start the game. I can’t wait to see his performance because he’s a talented player with space for improvement. He needs to be available for every game. Ryan has great potential. I’ve seen in the past he suffered a lot of injuries. Now we’re trying to work in the right way with him.”