Atalanta coach, Gian Piero Gasperini has revealed that Ademola Lookman's substitution in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League match against Celtic was due to the winger's post-international break fatigue, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
"I tried to make a change with the substitutions, bringing in fresh players like Samardzic and Cuadrado, but it wasn't easy," Gasperini said.
"We perhaps overdid it with the crosses in the first half and weren't precise enough in finishing. Retegui and Lookman, for example, gave a lot, but they were coming from games with their respective national teams and it's not easy to always maintain the same intensity."
This marks the second consecutive game where Lookman was substituted, following his withdrawal after the break in Atalanta's victory over Venezia last weekend.
By Olujimi Dare Ogun