As Ademola Lookman lashed them in, left foot, right foot, left, the thrilling hat-trick ball filling the Leverkusen net like a comet, the thought occurred; is Marcus Rashford watching this, and what might he make of it?
The pair are the same age, 26, born just 11 days apart, and play in the same position. Until his arrival at Atalanta two years ago Lookman had laboured through his career, never quite working out how to harness a talent that had the south London scene purring in his youth.
It took a radical move to Italy and the genius of Gian Piero Gasperini to unlock the promise that blew a hole in Leverkusen’s season-long unbeaten record to take the Europa League trophy back to Bergamo.
This was Atalanta’s first European victory and, other than the Coppa Italia 61 years ago, their only other major success. It was emphatically Lookman’s moment, the first hat-trick in almost half a century of European finals, and a night that immortalised him in a town that nestles quietly in the foothills of the Italian Alps.
Though Lookman was a hot ticket at the Charlton academy, evidenced by his migration into the first team at 17, his entry into that environment had none of the razzmatazz that accompanied Rashford’s debut against Midtjylland and subsequent spearing of Arsenal eight years ago. Moreover, as Rashford vaulted almost immediately into England’s orbit, Lookman’s career took a divergent course.
The move from Charlton to Everton that might have propelled Lookman into Rashford’s sphere proved difficult, yielding just one goal. The unfulfilling pattern continued at Leipzig, Fulham and Leicester until a chance connection took him to Serie A, where his 30 goals in 76 games almost equals his prior career total.
This is how Atalanta coach Gasperini explained it: “We had a senior manager at Atalanta who had worked at Leicester [Lee Congerton], who thought he was a useful player. Nobody could ever imagine he could make this much progress. He wasn’t overly prolific in England. I changed his position to a more attacking role. Tonight he achieved something which will remain in the annals of football history – a stunning hat-trick.”
Lookman credits Gasperini with finessing his role, and a culture and location far removed from anything he had known, for bringing a transformative clarity and serenity. Thus, in Bergamo he goes about his life and work free of anxiety. Watching Rashford regress at pace in the direction of the United bench and England exclusion, the lessons he might take from Lookman appear obvious.
“The first few conversations we had [with Gasperini] made me look at football a bit differently,” Lookman said. “It made it simpler in my mind in terms of what he expected from me. It made me look at, and play, my game in a different light. I’m very grateful to him.”
Significant also, is the time for positive downtime and reflection afforded by the setting. Atalanta are not freighted with the same weight of expectation as the neighbouring Milan clubs, and the pace of life in a town of 120,000, 35 miles to the north east, is not infused with football mania in quite the same way. “I feel the support from the fans from the first minute I was in Bergamo,” Lookman said. “The city gives me a sense of calmness. It’s a very calm, relaxed city and that has helped me a lot with my living style. I’m focused on the important things.”
Wow, that sounds like a life manual with Rashford’s name written all over it. Though the Italian media joked about a street being named after him, Lookman’s fame will never carry the same tariff as that of Rashford, a rare beacon of light in United’s torrid decade of decline and sainted in the wider community for his crusade that shamed the government into a policy U-turn ensuring free school meals for impoverished school children.
Lookman not only gave the performance of his life in Dublin, he looked to be enjoying himself doing so. The game has become a burden for Rashford. His legs appear tied by inhibition. His movements are constrained. His game has slowed to walking pace. On the odd occasion instinct kicks in, he is capable of genius. Witness the goal he lashed into the Manchester City net at the Etihad this season.
Lookman’s experience suggests there is a way back for Rashford if only he can learn to see the world and his place in it differently, to step back from himself and understand that he is neither the centre of the universe nor responsible for it.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/X8E56AN
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