Man Utd & Real Madrid target blasts own manager after bizarre 'worst penalty taker' jibe

Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman has published a long personal statement defending himself after his manager Gian Piero Gasperini called him "one of the worst penalty takers I've ever seen".

Lookman had been on the pitch for 34 second-half seconds when he reduced the deficit for Atalanta during their Champions League knockout tie with Club Brugge on Tuesday night. The Italian outfit lost the first leg in Bruges 2-1, which Lookman missed through injury, and were trailing 5-1 on aggregate by the time he emerged off the bench.

The returning winger had the chance to double his individual tally with a 61st-minute penalty only to see his low, hard effort parried by former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

Atalanta, who were ranked as outside favourites to win the Champions League by many, ultimately crashed out on Tuesday. "Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty," Gasperini fumed after the game.

"He has a frankly terrible record even in training, he converts very few of them. [Mateo] Retegui and [Charles] De Ketelaere were there, but Lookman in a moment of enthusiasm after scoring decided to take the ball and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all."

After a night to stew on his manager's dispiriting comments, Lookman took to social media to deliver his response. "It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement - most of all because of what we have achieved together as a team and as a city," the match-winner from last year's Europa League final wrote on Instagram.

"Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.

"In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here - the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful.

"Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night's result. During the match the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team I took responsibility in the moment to do so.

"Life's about challenges and turning pain into power which I'll continue to do."

Lookman was heavily linked with a move to Juventus over the summer and didn't appear in Atalanta's first three fixtures of the season while that saga was still rumbling. The 27-year-old quickly refocused and has enjoyed a prolific campaign domestically and on the continent, boasting 22 direct goal contributions from 28 games across all competitions. This form has attracted interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United.

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