Spain U21 boss Luis De la Fuente has claimed that Tottenham winger Bryan Gil is flourishing at Valencia because of the trust shown in him by manager Jose Bordalas. The 21-year-old joined the La Liga side on loan in January after failing to settle at Spurs.
Antonio Conte opted to sign Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus as the Spaniard’s replacement on an 18 month loan deal and the Sweden star has shone with two goals and four assists in nine appearances. In stark contrast, Gil played a peripheral role in north London after failing to gain the confidence of Conte or former Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
Gil clocked up just 87 minutes of Premier League action spread over the course of nine matches before he returned to his homeland following a summer switch from Sevilla. However, De la Fuente is confident that the Spanish winger will return to his best form at Valencia under the watchful eye of Bordalas.
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“I have always demanded opportunities for these players, confidence and continuity,” he told Super Deporte. “Now he (Gil) has found it in Valencia. If you trust them, they never fail. They are top players. He has the opportunity. They trust him, and he has spectacular mental strength. He hasn’t reached his ceiling yet.”
Gil has made seven starts in La Liga since he swapped north London for Mestalla Stadium. And whilst the Spaniard seems to be relishing a new lease of life in his homeland, he recently revealed the struggles he's experienced adapting to life in the Premier League.
“Every player needs to have continuity, to feel important. Here, at Valencia, I feel (important) from the first day,” Gil told AS. “Not playing affects you on a day-to-day basis, obviously, because you are sadder and more downcast. But it is part of football and you have to accept it.
“In the Premier League, training sessions are very physical, very hard. And that has helped me not to feel fatigue now. The adaptation, for me, was difficult. It is very physical football. Back and forth. Being there has been good for me, even if I didn’t play as much as I wanted. I’m more mature.
“I changed habits like eating. I had a chef at home and I gained two kilos. Even so, I noticed that it was not enough for the physical level that exists in the Premier League.”
Whilst Gil appears to be settled at Valencia, he insists that he will return a better player to Spurs if his parent club want him to bring him back at the conclusion of his loan. The winger is currently due to remain at Mestalla until the end of the season.
He added: “At Valencia, I continue to work hard on endurance, physicality, in case I have to come back, I belong to Tottenham and they are the ones who have to decide (my future). It’s not up to me. (Whether I stay at Valencia) will depend on the clubs.”
