Ryan Sessegnon has admitted it was "devastating" to pick up a hamstring injury against Everton at the start of March. Failing to get a sustained run of games in the Tottenham team following his move from Fulham in August 2019, the youngster had made himself a regular prior to the 5-0 win over the Toffees after nudging ahead of Sergio Reguilon in the pecking order.
Returning to fitness at the start of the month but remaining on the bench for the Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion games, Sessegnon was back in the team last time out in the 0-0 draw away at Brentford. Now looking to make himself a regular once again in the remaining games, the player has outlined the importance of how he's reacted to his previous setbacks.
"lt was devastating. I felt good in that period of games," said the wing-back in the club's matchday programme. "From the City game especially, going there after having been subbed off in the first half against Wolves, it sort of showed the mental side which I have to my game where l can put disappointment away and use it as a positive to go on and try to play well.
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"Obviously, the run started with that City game, and the games after that were obviously good because we got a lot of wins and produced positive performances. And I went on to play six games in a row which is obviously my longest run since being at the club.
"I felt strong, but then it was the unfortunate situation of the injury happening. It's then the mental side again of how to keep going and learn from certain things, obviously, with an injury. You can't really prevent it. It is just how you react to it, and that's what I'm trying to do now!"
Really struggling with injuries over the past few seasons, which have unfortunately seen him spend a large amount of time on the sidelines. Sessegnon has admitted that his current hamstring woes started during his time on loan with Hoffenheim's last campaign. It was a tough period for the player as he tried to adapt to life in a new country during the pandemic.
"In Germany, it was the first time that this series of hamstring problems started to happen. Taking away the fact I was injured when I first came to Spurs, it was the first injury I had suffered in the right hamstring," he admitted.
"When I had gone to Germany, I was playing games, feeling good and then that happened. My whole morale went down, and obviously, being in another country, just my girlfriend and me, my head was all over the place during the pandemic. I just felt I had to reach out to someone to speak about the situation I was in.
"It wasn't easy at all because, you know, as men, we just want to get through everything ourselves. You don't really want to speak to anyone if you're going through a tough time - that is just us as humans, that's how we can be. But, when there's help out there, you might as well use it. It took a lot. I had to speak to a lot of people before speaking to this person about the mental side. I just thought it was best for me to do it."
He added: "It helped me a lot, though. I got speaking to someone and got taught a lot of mental techniques and how to deal with certain things. That got me through it, and then l eventually got back playing and finished the season strong in Germany," added Sessegnon.
"When I came back to the UK, the sessions then stopped, but if I do need to get back into it, I can. I have the contact there. I use the techniques l was taught by the person every day anyway."
Sessegnon is now playing in a position that brings the best out of his qualities following Antonio Conte's decision to operate with a back three and wing-backs. Playing in the position with Hoffenheim, his duties differ slightly at Tottenham.
"The first time I actually played at wing-back was in Germany, so I had experienced the role a little before Antonio came in, but it was a bit different," he explained. "At Hoffenheim, I wasn't really getting in the box, I was more tucking inside whereas, here, the gaffer wants both wing-backs attacking the box when someone is crossing.
"It is physically demanding, in the up and down nature. You almost have to manage yourself as well because if you want to be lasting the 90 minutes.... Obviously, you have to be fit to play that position anyway but to get the full output of the attacking and defensive sides, you have to learn when to really go at it and when to stay."
