Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Luka Vuskovic claims he is not thinking about his long-term future after making a lightning start on loan at Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga. The Croatia international has already found the target once and he also guided his side to a clean sheet on Sunday during a goalless draw away to Union Berlin.
The match was of particular significance because man of the match Vuskovic won an incredible 18 duels in 90 minutes. He is the first player inside Europe's top-five domestic leagues to achieve that in the past five seasons.
Speaking after the game, Vuskovic was asked about whether he could see himself staying with Hamburg beyond the end of his loan, to which he replied: “I just arrived, so that’s not an issue right now. Let’s see what happens next summer.”
Spurs made it abundantly clear during discussions with various clubs over a loan for Vuskovic that they would not be willing to include a permanent transfer option in any deal.
Thomas Frank is an admirer of the player but collectively, Tottenham felt he deserved regular minutes this season and that was not on offer in N17 where competition for places remains fierce.
Swiss midfielder Miro Muheim was full of praise for his teenage team-mate following Sunday's point in Berlin, stating: “He’s a monster, for sure. I don’t think he lost a single header. He’s doing a great job. The boy is a superb footballer and is helping us tremendously."
HSV goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes added: “When you see Luka, how he always went for headers as a flexible player. That was something you need in games like this. This aerial dominance he has, this presence. It’s simply something that’s good for us."
Last week, Vuskovic raised concerns he suffered a broken finger when smashing his hand against the post in frustration. However, he has now clarified that he avoided injury after picking up the problem in the recent victory over Heidenheim.
He told Bild: “They’re a bit swollen, but they’re fine. Nothing’s broken. I don’t usually react quite so emotionally. But I identify so strongly with this club, and after that missed chance, the post was the one to take the fall. I felt the pain immediately. But when I scored shortly after, I forgot about it.”