In the absence of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski has come on for Tottenham Hotspur’s Ange Postecoglou in recent weeks and has been outstanding.
This was evident on Friday night when Ange Postecoglou’s side beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 to move closer to the top four in the Premier League.
Paul Merson believes that Dejan Kulesevski, who Juventus initially brought in as a loan player when Antonio Conte was manager, is back to his best after suffering a slight dip in performance, as he told Sky Sports News at 12:05 on Wednesday 12 December.
Paul Merson claimed he “found himself” at Spurs after a stellar start to his career as he “earned people’s respect”.
Dejan Kulushevski is also showing signs of his former self after assisting and scoring against Forest to prove he has got over his setback.
In 17 Premier League games this season, the £25 million signing has created more chances than any other Tottenham player, with five goals and two assists.
And you better believe the Swedish star’s form will reach even greater heights as players like James Maddison recover from injuries.
Dejan Kulusevski is back to his best at Tottenham:
Merson said: “I think he was absolutely outstanding.” He came on the scene, threw himself into the game and got injured.
But he came back and now he is a really good player. The guy is an elite athlete. Tottenham are a really good team when they play.
“Forest, they’re trying to put men behind the ball and defend.” But you can’t defend that (the help of Kulushevski). What a ball!
“He had a good start and then all of a sudden people started to realise and respect him.” It happens, so you have to think of alternative ways to stop players when they expose you in team meetings. He has now started to do that again himself.
Is Dejan Kulushevski underrated?
A left-handed wing player who lacks speed or guile depends on his ability to maintain tight control, protect the ball and execute a skilful pass.
Kulusevski occasionally gives the impression of moving slowly or awkwardly.
However, he still has the ball at his feet and moves it around the pitch with ease.
Moreover, he can produce a game-changing moment if you give him an extra inch to get the ball into the box, as he showed in the City Square.
The Spurs played well but were plagued by aggressive and cautious play until Richarlison got the ball on a platter.
However, Kulusevski then provided one of his best assists of the season, proving his worth and demanding more recognition as he is somewhat underrated in this Spurs team.