Former West Ham United midfielder Don Hutchinson has described Dejan Kulusevski’s debut for Tottenham Hotspur as a ‘solid performance’.
The Swedish international joined Tottenham on deadline day last month on an 18-month loan deal from Juventus for £8.3m, which consists of £2.5m this season and £5.8m next season along with an obligation to make the deal permanent for £29.2m if certain performance-related criteria is achieved (Sky Sports).
Antonio Conte named the 21-year-old among his substitutes for Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Brighton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and decided to give the midfielder his first run-out for his new side in the 68th minute of the fifth round clash, just two minutes after Harry Kane had extended the lead to 3-1.
Kulusevski took the place of Lucas Moura and while he does not possess the pace of the Brazilian, his left foot and ability to find a yard of space was impressive.
The loanee could have also registered his first assist upon his first appearance if Steven Bergwijn’s effort had not sailed high over the crossbar and into the south stand.
Hutchinson claimed that Kulusevski used the ball sensibly when in possession against the Seagulls.
“Kulusevski I thought was a lot more straightforward (compared to Bentancur),” said Hutchison told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
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“He’s a young player trying to get some minutes into his new career at Tottenham. He was making the best choices. Keeping it simple.
“He provided one or two passes for Harry Kane. Solid performance.”
SpursWeb Opinion
Kulu had a decent cameo off the bench and looks physically build to deal with the demands of the Premier League, however, one slight concern was just how much he decided to cut in on his stronger left foot while on the right flank.
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