Ryan Sessegnon has explained exactly what Jose Mourinho sat him down and spoke about soon after becoming Tottenham Hotspur boss.
The 19-year-old was a £30m transfer deadline day signing from Fulham in the summer, with Josh Onomah heading in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately Sessegnon's time at Spurs so far has been overshadowed by the hamstring injury he arrived with, picked up with England during the European U21 Championships in Italy.
He initially returned to training only to feel irritation in the same hamstring, which meant a return to rehabilitation.
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Sessegnon eventually made his debut late in the 1-1 draw at Everton last month.
"You always want to get off on the right foot so coming to the club injured wasn't easy for me and, as it was my first serious injury, it was hard to go out and watch the boys train when all I wanted was to be involved," he admitted.
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"But it’s part of the game, it’s part of football, I’m back now so I’m raring to go and enjoying finally playing now."
He added: "It’s been a long time since I started a game of football. It’s been about getting fit again really, trying to get my level back. That’s what I’ve got to do now and hopefully get some minutes under my belt.
"I never thought I’d be out for so long. Never. It was a weird one really because I was taking a corner and I felt it go a little bit and tried to carry on but it hurt so much and it was an unusual one. But I feel like I’m back in a good place now."
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Sessegnon admitted that the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, having made just two brief appearances under the Argentine, was a blow.
"For me, he was a big part of me coming to the club. I knew they had been watching me for a while and to finally get the opportunity to come to the club, play under him was a dream come true really," he said.
"Then of course for him to go suddenly after not working with him at all was disappointing because, like I say, he was one of the reasons I came to the club.
“But that’s part of the game and the new manager has come in and I’m just trying to work and improve under him."
Ryan Sessegnon
The blow of losing Pochettino was softened somewhat by the arrival of Mourinho as the club's new head coach.
"As soon as Spurs appointed him, it was exciting. He’s a big manager in the game, he’s won things and as a young player you can only look to improve yourself under him," he said.
"He’s always talking to me, giving me pointers and tips where I can improve. He’s a manager who obviously wants to win things which is one of the reasons why I’m here."
Mourinho attempted to sign Sessegnon on numerous occasions while he was at Manchester United, although Sessegnon admits he wasn't too aware of that at the time.
The new head coach has been looking to make up for lost time and has already held a one-on-one meeting with the teenager.
"Really he just sat me down, told me to be myself, told me to be a bit more vocal because I am quite a quiet player and person in general," admitted Sessegnon.
"I think he wants me to show a bit more personality, show a bit more of me, show that I want to play, show that I will fight for my place in the team and a lot of strong words really."
"Definitely [a something he must improve on]. 100 per cent. I’m still young myself but I’m someone needs to be more vocal around the pitch, off the pitch and really want to stamp my ability on this game.
"I have to work hard to break through into this team and really show that I can do that. I think it’s a fair point that he’s made, to be honest."
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The youngster, who came off the bench in the 5-0 win against Burnley on Saturday, finally now feels a real member of the squad at Tottenham after months of waiting to play a part.
"Yeah, definitely, I’ve felt part of it for a few weeks and it’s been good at the moment. We’ve won a few games, there’s a good buzz around the place, there’s a lot of energy in the squad and it’s an exciting time right now and it’s great to be part of it," he said.
There was also a big comparison for Sessegnon after Mourinho told football.london that he saw similarities between the Spurs teenager and his former Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole.
"It’s flattering to be compared to someone like that, someone who I think is a great player and for someone like the manager to put my name in the same breath as Ashley Cole was big for me," he said.
"It does give a lot of belief and confidence for upcoming games and it makes me want to work even harder to get more."
He added: "I definitely had an eye on Ashley Cole when I was growing up. I was an attacking full back, very aggressive but can also go forward and supply goals, assists and he was definitely one of the players that I looked up to."
Mourinho also told football.london that he believes that while Sessegnon could eventually become a left-back, he will start life at Spurs as a winger before gradually moving back.
"To be fair, I just tried to play where the gaffer tells me, whether it’s forward, whether it’s at the back, I just try to do my best for the team. I’m still at the point where if the manager wants to play me in either position then I’ll try and do well in both," he said.
"I like to think [I'm comfortable in both positions]. I like to play anywhere down the left hand side. I like to be comfortable, I like to learn and adapt so I can play in both positions.
"Attacking down the left hand side is one of my attributes, I like to show good energy, run with the ball, get the team up the pitch rapidly and that’s a big part of the game."
Ryan Sessegnon warms up
Sessegnon's first season in the Premier League was a tough one with Fulham as they were relegated. He still managed to score twice and lay on six assists in a difficult top flight experience.
However, he knows that this season is all about a whole new level with Spurs in the upper echelons of the Premier League and competing in the Champions League as last year's finalists.
"It's very exciting. The reason I joined the club is the style of football, they play football how I think it should be played," he said.
"To play in big games, to play with world class players is a dream really and it can only be good for me to work with new players, new manager, new stadium, big club and it’s exciting times and I just want to continue to play more stuff."
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Sessegnon is likely to start against Bayern in the Champions League on Wednesday night and admits its going to be up there with his career highlights
"Definitely. Champions League nights, big stadium against a big team, it will be exciting for me," he said. "It was one of my aims as a footballer of course. If you’re a young player, these are the games that you want to play in. Tomorrow night will be no different.
“It will be another game where I try to play well for the team, hopefully contribute and get the win as well.
"That was the plan, to come here and play in these big games, it was one of the reasons why I joined and I feel like I’m ready to play in these games and help the team.
"It would be the biggest game I’ve played in, I’ve never played in Munich before.
He added: "That's the aim in the Champions League [to get to the final again]. We are through to the next round, we want to end the group with a win tomorrow night and then look forward to the knock-out stages.
"We have to see it as just another game, to be honest. We’ll go there and try to win the game. [The manager] hasn’t said too much, we’re focused, we know what Bayern are about and we’ll go there confident and we’ll go there to win the game."
