Luka Vuskovic is proving at Hamburger why he is one of the best young talents in Europe, which will likely leave some at Tottenham Hotspur questioning why they loaned him out, but the actual reason is clear.
The defender has been so good in the Bundesliga that Tottenham are already considering recalling Vuskovic in January, TBR Football understands.
The 18-year-old has impressed so much that the German media have already nicknamed him ‘Air Vuskovic’, given his remarkable aerial ability.
The teenager has now been discussing what it is really like to compete with two ‘top players’ like Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
Luka Vuskovic hails Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven
Luka Vuskovic has hailed the ability of Van de Ven and Romero, claiming that the pair are both ‘top players’.
Vuskovic did not want to sit on the bench at Tottenham and instead wanted to experience regular football in a top-flight division.
Thomas Frank’s team are currently sitting in third place in the Premier League, and the young Croat believes that is a testament to how good their centre-back pairing has been.
When asked about the competition for the centre back spots at Spurs, Vuskovic told Sportske Novosti: “Spurs are currently third in the super strong Premier League, which tells you enough about the strength of the team.
“The first defenders are Romero and Van de Ven, who are top players, which is evident in Tottenham’s results.”
After seven matches, Spurs have the joint second-best defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded just five times.
Luka Vuskovic has won the most aerial duels in the Bundesliga
No Bundesliga player has won more aerial duels this season than the young Tottenham Hotspur defender, with 32 in total.
Against Union Berlin, he became the first player to win 18 aerial duels in a single match in Europe’s top five leagues over the last five seasons.
Despite achieving such a feat at 18, Vuskovic puts his incredible ability in the air down to genetics and his hard work to improve.
“I can certainly thank genetics for this in part. I have the stature and tendency to be able to physically deal with older players, and reflexes and a sense of space and timing are, on the one hand, innate, and on the other hand, something I’ve worked on throughout my career,” said Vuskovic.
“It’s important to have confidence, will and faith that you can, want and will surpass your opponent, regardless of whether they are more experienced than me.”