England stars praise Ademola Lookman for fighting on even after Premier League rejection

Ademola Lookman has been praised by top England stars for not giving up on his dream even when it first did not work out for him in the Premier League.

Ademola Lookman played for Everton, Fulham and Leicester City in the Premier League.

However, it is with Italian Serie A Atalanta that he has now climbed to the top of the mountain courtesy of a brilliant hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen Wednesday night.

Ex-England and Liverpool striker Peter Crouch said the way Lookman had managed to come back from ‘difficult’ experiences elsewhere was an “inspiration”.

“Honestly, it’s probably an inspiration to many players who maybe lose their way at times, when he’s gone out on loan,” Crouch said of the London-born forward’s performance.

“When he might have arrived at Everton, a big club, and thought, ‘I’m gonna stay in the Premier League and ply my trade here’, and it’s not quite worked out. He’s had to go abroad.

“It’s been difficult at times for him and lots of players might have been head down.

“But he’s got himself out to Atalanta with a manager that wants to work with him, that seems to be able to get the best out of him.

“And I think it’s a credit to him to be able to bounce back from quite a few knock-backs and return to a Europa League final and be the difference-maker. It’s an incredible story.”

Former Chelsea star Joe Cole, meanwhile, praised Lookman’s perseverance to come through tough moments and ‘write himself into the history books”.

“His agent will be feeling in a strong position over negotiations! But what Crouchy said about setbacks and adversity… in the face of adversity can you show bravery,” Cole added.

“The football world and outside the football world is riddled with people that say, ‘Ah, I could have made it but I got an injury’, or, ‘I want down this road, I went down that road’, but, ultimately, to get to the top in football – and by that I mean becoming a professional footballer – you have to go through adversity.

“The players that can come through it and even when they get there, not give up and not give up, keep pushing through, that young man there has got that in abundance and that is his reward tonight. Writing himself into the history books.”

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