Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte says midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has to “do a lot more than others” in order to have a successful career at the club.

Conte will officiate his second Premier League game as Tottenham manager against Leeds United on Sunday, having been appointed earlier this month to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked after just 17 games.

Conte is so strict that he still bothers retired John Terry about his diet
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Ndombele is Tottenham’s record signing after arriving in July 2019 in a £56.5m deal with £8.5m in potential additions. However, the 24-year-old midfielder had a mixed start to his career at the club.

“I’ve seen many managers struggle with his position,” Conte said at a news conference on Friday.

“He has quality. He has to understand that he is a team and he has to play in the team. It is important that you do what the center tells you to do. We are working hard.

“He has to work a lot more than the others. He has talent but he has to put it in the squad for the team’s sake, not for the individual player. Every player should know what to do. If every player was running around the field, it would be a mess.”

Ndombele was taken off the bench in Conte’s first away game against Everton on 7 November – his seventh appearance in the Premier League this season.