Lookman has lost his spark: Rubén Uría now beyond worried

Rubén Uría admits he has gone beyond worrying about Ademola Lookman. He sees him lacking spark and desire, and criticises him for coming on without the hunger to prove Simeone wrong for leaving him on the bench.

Rubén Uría confesses that he tries to spend as little time as possible on social media, which is becoming increasingly toxic, but he knows which way the wind is blowing. He himself has gone beyond worrying about Lookman, a player everyone expected a great deal from. He recalls that Nacho Donado always tells him he overrates him.

Now he acknowledges that Ademola Lookman does not look like the same player. It is not that he has lost his confidence; it is that he looks like he has none at all, with no spark and no desire. He criticises his attitude when he came on as a substitute against Bayern with the game already lost: he should have come on to run himself into the ground and show Simeone he is wrong to leave him out of these matches. Instead, it looked as if none of it concerned him.

Uría admits he does not understand it and that Simeone faces a tough call. He understands the coach wanting to get him back to his best, because he would want the same, but the games keep going by and the player is not responding.