Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has challenged Yves Bissouma to improve further following his impressive display against QPR on Saturday afternoon.
The midfielder opened the scoring in his side’s 2-0 victory at Loftus Road in the 41st minute, weaving his way past several players before playing a neat one-two with Dejan Kulusevski, dribbling past goalkeeper Paul Nardi and slotting into an empty net. Dane Scarlett then bagged a late second goal for Spurs.
Speaking after the match, Postecoglou called for Bissouma to continue progressing in pre-season ahead of what promises to be an important campaign for the ex-Brighton midfielder.
Asked if the goal will give Bissouma confidence, the Aussie boss said: “Yeah but it is only a friendly. I want to see him do it in a game. He's capable of it.
“That's our challenge for all our guys. We know the capabilities are there. We've got to produce it when it counts. He was good today, he's been good through pre-season and we've just got to keep pushing him."
Bissouma made 28 appearances in the Premier League last season, though injuries and two red cards meant that he also spent some significant periods of the campaign on the sidelines. With reinforcements in midfield expected to be signed, as well as the arrival of Archie Gray, the 27-year-old has been linked with a move away from the club as a result.
However, speaking after the match, Bissouma spoke of how he was looking forward to spending next season with Tottenham and insisted that he is working hard to be prepared for the campaign.
Asked about the goal, he said: “It was fantastic, I am very happy because we worked very hard this week to prepare for this game. I am happy to score my first goal for the club, I hope there’s more to come. We stay focused, continue to work because we still are still in pre-season then we’ll see.