Leverkusen bosses full of praise for Tella after brace in Darmstadt

Bayer Leverkusen bosses Simon Rolfes and Xabi Alonso heaped praise on Nathan Tella after the 24-year-old’s brace against Darmstadt.

Nathan Tella made a rare start for Bayer Leverkusen against Darmstadt on Saturday, playing at right wing-back in place of Jeremie Frimpong, who was rested.

And the 24-year-old made the most of his opportunity, scoring a brace to lead Leverkusen to a 2-0 win.

Speaking to Kicker after the game, Bayer Leverkusen managing director for sport Simon Rolfes said Tella’s performance was “an expression of his development over the last few months”.

“He’s an excellent guy, works very hard, gets more confident every week, feels more comfortable, learns new things.

“Nathan is a very important player for the team, he always works hard in training,” Rolfes said.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso echoed similar sentiments, also praising the Nigeria international, who was signed from Southampton last summer:

“Nathan played very, very well,” the Spaniard said.

“It was normal that he needed time to adapt to the Bundesliga and a new club. But he always has a great attitude, good energy and is always positive. Now he’s always there when we need him. He has more clarity now about what we want.”

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