‘He presented himself very well’ - Atalanta new manager ready to give Lookman a chance to show his quality

Lookman has faced a lot of difficulties since the start of the season, which has affected his performance for club and country.

The forward saw his chance of leaving Atalanta in the summer crushed by the club after failing to negotiate a deal with Inter Milan.

Upon his return to the team after being left out for some weeks, he had an altercation with his former coach Ivan Juric.

Palladino was officially unveiled on Wednesday, taking over from Ivan Jurić, who struggled to get the team up and running. 

The 41-year-old former Fiorentina boss expressed his enthusiasm for the new role, stating, "I’m very happy to be here at Atalanta. It’s a great club, and I feel confident that my staff and I will do everything we can to take it to the top."

However, one of his immediate priorities will be to address the uncertainty surrounding Lookman, who has been linked with a move to Galatasaray.

Palladino confirmed he has already been in contact with the 28-year-old, who was recently on international duty with Nigeria. 

"Lookman is crucial," Palladino stated. "I called him, as well as all the others who were on national team duty. He presented himself very well. I’ll evaluate his role based on how he performs in training."

The new manager stressed Lookman's importance while making it clear that his role will depend on his performance in training.