Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini has clarified that he did not intend to offend Ademola Lookman following his comments after their UEFA Champions League loss to Club Brugge on Tuesday.
Lookman, returning from injury, made an immediate impact by scoring after coming on, but later missed a penalty, which angered Gasperini.
After the 5-2 aggregate defeat, the coach criticized Lookman, calling him the worst penalty taker he had ever seen.
In response to Lookman’s reaction, feeling disrespected by the remark, Gasperini explained that he never meant to upset the Nigerian international, who he praised as “the current best footballer in Africa.”
“Lookman felt offended, but I never intended to offend anyone.
He came on with a fantastic attitude against Club Brugge,” Gasperini said.
“If he starts working on improving his penalties, with his exceptional skills, Ademola could become our first-choice penalty taker.”
Atalanta are currently in third place in Serie A and will face Empoli on Sunday.
