Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk has admitted that Tanguy Ndombele is ‘not in the best shape’ and is still working his way up to full fitness.
Ndombele joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan deal in the summer with the Istanbul side having the option to make the deal permanent for £13m.
The Frenchman will be hoping to get his career back on track in Turkey after a disappointing few years, with the 26-year-old failing to make much of an impression during his temporary spells at Lyon and Napoli recently.
The midfielder is yet to start a game for Galatasaray, having come on as a second-half substitute on four occasions so far across all competitions (Transfermarkt).
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Tanguy Ndombele is not fully fit out on loan
Journalist Nevzat Dindar even told Milliyet a few days ago that the on-loan Tottenham man is overweight and might take a month to get back into peak condition.
Ndombele came on as a substitute in the 84th minute on Tuesday to help Galatasaray see out a historic 3-2 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the Champions League.
After the game, Buruk told Yenicag Gazetesi (as translated by Sport Witness): “We are preparing Ndombele. Not exactly in the best shape. Many of our players joined us late.”
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Ndombele did go through almost an entire pre-season at Spurs before making the move to Galatasaray. He has no excuses to be lagging behind in terms of fitness but we now know that it is a theme with the 26-year-old, who does not seem particularly motivated to prove himself.
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