Ex-Newcastle midfielder Moussa Sissoko reveals why he's now a 'better player' after finally adapting to life at Spurs

Sissoko left Newcastle United for Tottenham Hotspur for £30million back in the summer of 2016 but struggled to make much of an impact in the capital in recent seasons.

More than two years on, Sissoko has finally adapted to a new way of playing and culture and is reaping the benefits this season.

As well as becoming a better player, the 29-year-old midfielder also believes the experience has made him a better man.

Sissoko told the Telegraph: "I am very happy with what I have done from the beginning of the season because I can say that I have come back from ‘far’.

“Everyone knows the first two years here were not easy for me and maybe it took some time to adapt with a new team but also a new style of football because when I was in Newcastle the system was totally different and even the culture of the manager was different.

“So it wasn’t easy. In my old teams I used to play every game and when you go to a new club and you don’t start you are disappointed.

"But you have to stay strong in your head and I was and people were here to help me gain confidence and work every day to succeed. I didn’t give up.

"In my head I knew I could do it here so it was just a case of working and take my chance, one day. Maybe it is my moment now.

“I think people expected me to succeed straight away because I came here for a lot of money and because I had done well at the Euros in 2016.

“But that did not happen. In football and also in life people want results straight away.

"Everyone wants to perform straight away but sometimes you can’t. You might need a week, a year, even two years. My time was the time I took and the past is gone.

“I can also say the level here is higher than it was at Toulouse and Newcastle, the competition for places greater and I have become a better player.

"Not just a better player, a better man.

“I learnt: ‘I can complain, but I have no right to complain’. That’s what I mean by becoming a better man.

“But I never thought I wanted to leave or would leave."