Ange Postecoglou had admitted that one of his Tottenham Hotspur stars has endured a ‘frustrating’ season.
Tottenham finished the campaign on a high by picking up a 3-0 victory at Sheffield United on Sunday.
The win secured a fifth-place finish for Ange Postecoglou in his debut season, which will see Spurs return to the Europa League.
Postecoglou has experimented with his Spurs side over the past week following an injury to Richarlison.
Pape Matar Sarr mostly operated as a false nine in the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City and Dejan Kulusevski stepped into a similar role yesterday.
The Swede netted twice at Bramall Lane in his new role, producing an exceptional finish from the left-hand side for his first of the game.
Kulusevski found himself on the bench against City last week but after what has been an up-and-down season for the forward, Postecoglou was impressed with his display on Sunday.
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Postecoglou on Dejan Kulusevski’s ‘frustrating’ season at Tottenham
Speaking to Tottenham’s media team after yesterday’s win, Postecoglou was asked about Kulusevski’s performance.
The Aussie boss admitted it’s been a frustrating year for the £25 million forward but praised him for his work-rate.
“Deki was good today,” Postecoglou said. “He’s had a bit of a frustrating year, he has worked awfully hard.
“I just felt playing him there today might give him some freedom to move around and cause problems which I thought he did. Pleased for him to get the goals but worked hard for the team which was important.”
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Kulusevski’s 2023/24 Tottenham stats
Kulusevski enjoyed a positive start to life under Postecoglou and started in every Premier League where he was available before a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park in February.
His form has been patchy since the turn of the year though, with the forward dropping to the bench five times.
Yet, he remains one of Tottenham’s most creative players as he carved 65 chances for his teammates this season, according to Statmuse.
His numbers don’t reflect his impact in the final third as he’s registered just 11 goal involvements in 39 appearances this term.
Next season looks set to be a defining one for the 23-year-old, with Tottenham in the market for attacking reinforcements.