RYAN SESSEGNON is a young British man abroad in confinement in the old German village of Hoffenheim.

But the 20-year-old is already imagining his name in the lights of north London in order to prove Jose mourinho wrong.

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Sessegnon joined Spurs in August 2019 from Fulham injured and with expectations to be met – but in a few months Mauricio Pochettino was sacked and his own future in doubt.

Now, having taken a path well trodden by English talent over the years on Bundesliga loan, the left-back is focusing on the bigger picture.

Whether at Tottenham, or even back abroad if Mourinho is still not convinced by his potential.

Sessegnon said: “Of course my goal is to go back to Spurs and try to break into this team and play, to put myself in the squad.

“But if that’s not possible next season or in the future, I want to come back to a league or a club to get that experience back.

“If Tottenham wants to play in a four of five, I see myself in a five as a left-back or a four, I also want to fight for that left-back place. This is always the goal, never changed.

“My defensive side of the game in terms of head-to-head and aggression on the front foot has improved since I’ve been here.

“But English clubs need to be prepared that if they don’t play their young players there will be clubs like Hoffenheim who will take them on loan.

“And then if they come back to their clubs and England and they think they’re still not ready, be prepared for an offer for other clubs to come and get them.

“When the time comes to go home, we’ll see.”

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Despite an inner confidence that shines brightly through Sessegnon, he admits that another improvement has been off the pitch where he wants to be more vocal and interact more.

But he can be forgiven for being a distant figure during the pandemic – and was kept sane by his girlfriend accompanying him with her family unable to visit him.

He explained, “I love where I live right now. It is a beautiful peaceful place by the river. I like to walk around there. I’m just a cool, calm person.

“It’s a little different from London where it’s more hectic with a lot of people but here there are a lot of peaceful things like trees, snow, everything.

“I’m with my girlfriend. My family couldn’t get out, but if I was here alone I think my mind would be gone a long time ago. Having her here is good.

I was in rehab and was still trying to get to know him and build that kind of relationship, and then I got back into shape when I found out that Poch had been fired. I was like ‘wow’. “

Ryan sessegnon

“I like how calm it is here. This is how I am.

The word “calm” is not how to describe Tottenham over the past 18 months, as Sessegnon explains.

He said: “From the moment I signed until the moment of the international break when I came back, Poch was gone.

“I was in rehab and was still trying to get to know him and build that kind of relationship, and then I came back in shape when I found out that he had been fired. I was like ‘wow’.

“As a new player in an environment where a new manager of Jose’s stature had to enter, I was obviously shocked and then excited.

“When I came back I was doing everything to impress in a positive way. There were some tough first months where I wasn’t selected initially, but I kept working and carrying on and trying to be patient and bide my time.

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That moment never really came as Mourinho looked to his more experienced players for results, but Sessegnon believes he is starting to build a relationship with the Portuguese manager – albeit a virtual one since moving to Germany. last October.

He said: “He’s been in touch since I’ve been here. When I scored my first goal he congratulated me and every other day he sends me a message to see how I’m doing.

“The main message was that I go play games and that’s what he told me. He saw it as a good opportunity for me to bring back this experience.

“It was his birthday the other day so I sent him a little message. He replied.”

Sessegnon is part of one of the most talented and successful generations of England players, alongside players like Jadon Sancho, Phil foden and Bukayo Saka.

With Hoffenheim facing Borussia Dortmund this weekend, Sessegnon could run into old pal Sancho – if he recovers from a minor injury.

But despite waiting for this young group of stars to see it through, Sessegnon insists they don’t feel the pressure to produce when it counts.

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He added, “That’s what makes this generation better. Everyone plays freely without pressure. This is what makes us. Look at a lot of young players now those of Foden, Sancho, Saka.

“They all play without fear. It’s great to see as young players. That’s what makes us good that way. We go out, do what we have to do and play without fear or freedom.

“You see the rewards they get. When we all meet for internationals there’s this close bond between them and you hear things about northerners getting together and then southerners but I don’t really believe it, everyone mixes up anyway. .

A negative that arose from Sessegnon’s stay in Germany was the victim of racist abuse on social media in November.

Sessegnon said: “I couldn’t believe what I was reading to be honest. I didn’t think about two things, I had to publish it.

“I had to share it to show the world what’s still going on right now, which is amazing.

There are too many people hiding behind these accounts trying to spread all this negativity and racism. “

Ryan sessegnon

“This is not correct. I had to take a stand, I had to make it a public profile so that we could raise awareness of the situation.

“There are too many people hiding behind these accounts trying to spread all this negativity and racism in the air, which is not good.

“There should be a system in place to identify you in order to create these accounts. We have to put people back in their place.

“I would just like to ask them why?” One word: why? I want to hear their response. I would be so intrigued to hear what they have to say.

Watch several live Bundesliga matches each week, exclusively live on BT Sport, including Borussia Dortmund vs. Hoffenheim on BT Sport 2 on Saturday February 13 from 2:30 p.m.

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