Tottenham star explains why he ‘loves’ playing with Dejan Kulusevski

Matt Doherty has lavished praise on Dejan Kulusevski, admitting that he really enjoys combining with the Swede.

The Kulusevski-Doherty partnership down the right was extremely effective in the second half of last season until the Republic of Ireland international suffered a knee injury back in April.

That is not a partnership that we have seen much of this season, owing to the right-back’s fitness struggles at the start of the campaign and the Swede himself being out of action for a month after picking up a thigh injury at the end of September.

The pair combined for Tottenham’s second goal in their 4-0 win over Motherwell on Thursday, with Doherty cutting in from the left and squeezing the ball underneath the goalkeeper after some good work down the right from Kulusevski.

The Motherwell defence struggled to cope with the former Juventus man, who himself got on the scoresheet and was heavily involved in two other goals.

Speaking after the game, Doherty admitted that Kulusevski’s importance to the Tottenham side cannot be overstated.

The 30-year-old told Spurs Play about the winger: “He’s vitally important. You see what he brings to the table when he plays, how he impacts the team, always involved going forward whether he’s scoring or creating.

“Personally, I love playing with him. He understands players’ games around him, understands my game, that I like to combine and link, so when I give him the ball, he knows that he can lay it off, one-touch, so we link well together. He’s a pleasure to play with and it’s we’re glad to have him back.”

Spurs Web Opinion

It is certainly not a coincidence that our downturn in form came when Kulusevski was out injured. The Swede is undoubtedly one of our most important players and Conte’s system certainly works much better when the 22-year-old starts, owing to his ability to drive at the opposition and his brilliant decision-making in the final third.

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