Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall has received glowing reviews for his performance at the World Cup from the national media back in his country.
Most Spurs players have already been in action at the World Cup, but many of them have not had ideal starts to the tournament.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s Uruguay, Pedro Porro’s Spain and Micky van de Ven’s Netherlands were all held to draws in their respective openers.
However, Bergvall made a decisive contribution from the bench as Sweden gave a warning shot to the other teams in the tournament by kicking off their campaign with a thumping victory.
Tottenham starlet Lucas Bergvall praised for his maturity against Algeria
Bergvall became Sweden’s youngest player to feature at the World Cup, as he came off the bench to help the Scandinavian side thump Algeria 5-1.
The attacking midfielder added plenty of energy and impetus after being introduced on 64 minutes, and he has been praised for the confidence and maturity he showed.
SvenskaNews said about Bergvall’s display: “Sweden’s youngest-ever World Cup player. Came on as a substitute and delivered a beautiful cross. (He) brought great energy to the game. He was very confident, looked to drive the ball forward, and played with a lot of maturity. A shot over the goal late in the game was a golden opportunity.”
FotballSkanalen said about the 20-year-old: “Came on with energy and determination. Made the key pass that set up Ayari for the 5-1 goal.”
Has Bergvall done enough to force himself into Sweden’s starting eleven?
Many of his Sweden teammates have named Bergvall as the player who impressed the most in training in the lead-up to the World Cup and the youngster certainly proved a point to manager Graham Potter against Algeria.
Sweden now face off in a huge clash against Van de Ven’s Netherlands on Saturday, and the Spurs midfielder will be hoping he has done enough to warrant a start against the Dutch.
Forcing himself into the starting eleven and having a strong World Cup will also be crucial in pushing himself to the forefront of Roberto De Zerbi’s plans at Spurs after the 20-year-old struggled for starts under the Italian last season.