Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has heaped praise on talented defender Luka Vuskovic following his exciting performances in pre-season.
Spurs paid around £12 million to sign the Croat from Hajduk Split back in September 2023, but he spent the following two years on loan with Radomiak Radom and Westerlo.
The 18-year-old finally linked up with the first team squad for pre-season, and after a few performances, it’s clear that manager Thomas Frank has a gem on his hands.
Vuskovic gave everyone a firsthand glimpse of his immense quality and potential when he made his debut during Spurs’ 2-0 win over Reading in Berkshire.
The centre-back was very much involved in proceedings, bagging a goal and an assist.
His performance on the other side of the ball was also eye-catching. He won two of his four duels and completed 17/19 passes with an impressive 89% accuracy.
Vuskovic has a huge future at Spurs
Vuskovic has been backed as the next big talent at Spurs. He has made a huge impression and could become a key part of Frank’s team going forward.
Van de Ven shares that sentiment. The Netherlands international waxed lyrical about Vuskovic when asked about his teammate during a pre-match press conference.
“Luka is only 18 years old, but what you can see from how he behaves on the pitch and off the pitch, you can see he is a really talented football player,” Van de Ven said (via the club’s official website).
“He has a lot of qualities and I think he has shown in the last two friendlies that he has a lot of big and strong points where even our centre-backs can learn from.
“He’s done unbelievable at this point, and hopefully he can do way more for us, and hopefully you can see way more from him.”
Vuskovic will be looking to make more of an impression when Tottenham take on Arsenal in a pre-season version of the North London Derby in Hong Kong.