Nigeria winger Ademola Lookman has been rewarded for his impressive displays in April with a Serie A Player of the Month nomination. The Atalanta star has hit a rich vein of form in recent weeks, and was instrumental in the club’s improved form in the month of April.
Last month saw Gian Piero Gasperini’s side lose just one out of the four Serie A games they played. The Black and Blues also took giant steps towards winning the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Europa League after seeing off Fiorentina and Liverpool, respectively.
Atalanta are currently in the semi-final of the Europa League after beating Liverpool 3-1 on aggregate in the previous round, while they have also booked their place in the final of the Coppa Italia following a 4-2 aggregate victory over Fiorentina.
Lookman played an important role in the club’s progress in both cup competitions, as well as their rise to the sixth position on the Serie A table, where they’re now just six points away from the top four places.
Ademola Lookman involved in 6 goals in April
The Nigeria international contributed six goals in the month of April, which earned him the Player of the Month nomination. Lookman started the month slowly after failing to score in Atalanta’s 0-1 defeat to Fiorentina in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final.
He, however, provided an assist as Gasperini’s side once again fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Cagliari the following week. Lookman didn’t feature when Atalanta recorded a shocking 3-0 victory against Liverpool in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals but ended the month strongly with five more goal contributions in the club's last three matches.
First, he created both goals as the Black and Blues beat AC Monza 2-1 in Serie A, before coming off the bench to score and set up another as Atalanta thrashed Fiorentina 4-1 in the second leg of the Coppa Italia to overturn their first leg defeat.
Lookman then ended the month of April with a goal in Atalanta’s 2-0 victory over Empoli, and has now been nominated for the Player of the Month award. The 26-year-old will, however, face stiff competition from five other players for the award, including AS Roma’s Paulo Dybala and Inter Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu. The other nominees are Genoa forward Albert Gudmundsson, Lazio captain Luis Alberto and Napoli’s Matteo Politano.
A crucial month for Lookman and Atalanta
Meanwhile, Lookman and Atalanta have a crucial month ahead, which could make or break their promising season. Gasperini and his side have done very well so far, and are currently in contention to win two trophies and also finish in the Serie A’s top four.
The Black and Blues will first have to take care of Olympique Marseille in the semi-finals of the Europa League, with the first leg scheduled for Thursday at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo. Should they beat the French side, Atalanta will face the winner of the other semi-final game between AS Roma and Bayer Leverkusen in the final.
Later in May, Atalanta also have a date with Juventus in the final of the Coppa Italia, as they aim to win the competition for the second time since first lifting the trophy in 1963. In-between the two cup competitions, Gasperini’s side also have a date with Roma on May 12, in a clash that could determine which team finishes in the top 4 in the Serie A.
Lookman’s current form makes him undroppable in the team at the moment, having already contributed 11 goals and seven assists in all competitions this season. Atalanta will be counting on the Nigerian to see them through their testing run of games in the coming weeks.
