Atalanta Bergamo coach wants Lookman to return to his good scoring form! | OneFootball

Ivan Juric hopes his Nigerian player will return to his best.

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The air in Bergamo is thick with a familiar anxiety the kind that only a scarcity of goals can bring. Atalanta, a club famed for its attacking verve, has found its sharpest blades dulled, netting a mere two goals in their last four outings. In the eye of this growing storm stands Ademola Lookman, the Nigerian winger whose spark has inexplicably faded.

Once the team's undeniable "x-factor," Lookman's name is now synonymous with a worrying statistical void. Six appearances into the season, his tally for goals and assists remains untouched. The echoes of his last decisive contribution, a memory from mid-May, grow fainter with each passing match. This dry spell is more than a blip; for a player of his calibre, it's a crisis.

His manager, Ivan Jurić, is not one to hide from the issue. Having recently reintegrated Lookman into the starting eleven after a summer clouded by transfer rumours, Jurić is now publicly applying a gentle but firm pressure. He paints a picture of an athlete who has conquered the physical hurdles but is now battling to recapture his magical touch.

"Lookman was working hard to get into shape," Jurić reflected, acknowledging the player's efforts. But the time for mere fitness, he implies, has passed. "Now, aware of his qualities, we're pushing to get him playing immediately and at his best." The Croatian tactician's faith in his player's innate talent is clear, but so is his urgency. He sees the chances being crafted, the balls being slipped into dangerous areas, and believes it is only a matter of time before the dam breaks. The team is laying the table; they now need their star forward to take a seat and feast.

Yet the ramifications of this slump stretch far beyond Serie A. For the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, Lookman’s faltering form is a cause for concern. With critical 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs on the horizon in November, his place in the starting lineup is no longer a given. A new generation of hungry talents is rising, and a player struggling to find the net for his club is a luxury the national team may not be able to afford. The clock is ticking, not just for Atalanta, but for Ademola Lookman himself.