Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has urged for patience with midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.
The Frenchman made his first appearance of the season in Thursday’s 2-2 Europa Conference League draw with Rennes, having asked to leave the club before the campaign started.
The club’s record buy has been inconsistent since his £60million-plus move from Lyon two years ago and found himself frustrated at being left out of the side by interim boss Ryan Mason at the end of last season.
He showed glimpses of what he is capable of at Rennes as an audacious off-balance backheel helped set up Spurs’ opener and he was the player most likely to break the lines.
Many people see him as the answer to help solve Spurs’ creativity issues, but Nuno is cautious.
“It was the first game Tanguy was involved in since the beginning of the season,” Nuno said.
“We had all the pre-season and we are already playing Premier League and European competition and it was Tanguy’s first game so let’s be patient.”
Ndombele could be involved as Spurs host title contenders Chelsea on Sunday.
While Spurs have stuttered since their run to the 2019 Champions League final, Chelsea are on the rise in the wake of Thomas Tuchel’s appointment.
He led them to Champions League glory last season and most see them as credible challengers to Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Nuno is not surprised at how quickly the German has turned things around at Stamford Bridge, saying: “(They are a) very good team. Thomas is doing an amazing job.
“They have an amazing squad, talented players, they play good football, they are organised, they are intense. They are European champions so we must value that as we do to all of the opponents but Sunday we will compete, that’s a promise.
“No, there’s no surprise at all. Thomas already did an amazing job at Borussia Dortmund (and was) fantastic at PSG. He and his coaching staff have enormous quality so I am not surprised by the success of Thomas.
“For me it is not a surprise because you can see how good they play.”