Tottenham Hotspur claimed a routine 2-0 win over Reading FC on Saturday in a pre-season friendly as we inch towards the curtain-raiser in the Super Cup versus Paris Saint-Germain.
Several Spurs stars gave excellent accounts of themselves, especially £55 million signing Mohammed Kudus.
However, another player caught the eye, and his displays could have earned him a place in the Tottenham team for next season.
Luka Vuskovic scored and recorded an assist in the win, rising to meet a set-piece, which he laid on for Will Lankshear, before arrowing a cut-back from Kudus into the bottom corner.
Despite being a centre-back, Vuskovic earned a reputation as a goalscorer, bagging seven goals and two assists last season. He scored three times in his first season in senior football.
Besides the goal, Vuskovic won two of his four duels and completed 17/19 passes (89% accuracy). He also made a fantastic block in front of his goal after scoring.
The Evening Standard gave him an 8/10 rating following his display on Saturday.
Described as a ‘phenomenon’ by Westerlo manager Timmy Simons, Tottenham paid around £12 million for his services two summers ago and has shown he can contribute to the first team.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has a massive call to make as the young Croatian can be an option for the Danish tactician or head out on loan in search of game time.
He could be an option for cup games with the more senior options like Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso, and Micky van de Ven ahead of him in the pecking order.
Letting him leave now, even on loan, might disrupt his momentum at a time when confidence and rhythm are building.
With European fixtures and domestic cups on the horizon, having a fearless, in-form defender like Vuskovic in-house offers valuable depth and sends the right message about rewarding performance.
(Stats from Sofascore)