Ademola Lookman must maintain ‘positive attitude’ with Atalanta teammates – Ivan Juric

Atalanta head coach Ivan Juric says he hopes Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman will maintain a “positive attitude” as he reintegrates into the squad following the collapse of his proposed transfer to Inter Milan.

Lookman reportedly skipped pre-season training in protest after Atalanta rejected Inter’s €40 million offer—plus add-ons—insisting the player was worth at least €50 million. The deal eventually fell through, and the Nigerian was slowly brought back into the team.

Juric admitted that the forward’s attitude had initially been a concern but praised Lookman’s recent commitment in training.

“I hope that he will return from international duty with the same attitude that I saw in the last two or three weeks that he worked with us, where I had no complaints,” Juric told Sport Mediaset.

“It was a great attitude, really positive, and I want to make up for the time we lost over the summer. He is not yet at his best, but I hope to see the right spirit from him.”

Atalanta have had to cope without both Lookman and injured striker Gianluca Scamacca in recent weeks, which has affected their attacking options.

“Lookman was named African Player of the Year, so that says it all. The other day, he played in a position that was not his usual role for the first time, but he showed some good things and was only lacking a goal.”

The coach also welcomed the return of Scamacca from injury, along with Nicola Zalewski and Giorgio Scalvini, bolstering his squad ahead of upcoming fixtures.

“We have a varied attack, everyone is waiting for Scamacca to get back to his best so we can have two strong centre-forwards. It’s going well so far, we can do better,” added Juric.

Taking charge after Gian Piero Gasperini’s nine-year tenure, Juric admitted the transition has been challenging.

“I think we deserved more points than we have, which does hurt a little. I must do well to change some things, but not that balance that the team had.”