Frank McAvennie has said that Tottenham Hotspur may not exercise their option to buy Dejan Kulusevski due to his injury worries.
Kulusevski made his long-awaited return to action for Tottenham on Sunday and made an immediate impact off the bench as he assisted Harry Kane.
The forward had been out of action since sustaining a hamstring problem towards the end of September while on international duty for Sweden.
He has certainly caught the eye since arriving on an initial 18-month loan deal back in January.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Spurs will have an obligation to buy the 22-year-old should he make 20 league appearances and the club finish in the top four.
The Lilywhites still have the option to sign the attacker if those conditions aren’t met, but amid his recent injury woes, former West Ham United striker McAvennie has raised doubts over whether Spurs will activate that clause.
Speaking to Football Insider about the wide-man’s fitness worries, he said: “It depends how bad his injury is.
“He was doing alright and now he has got an injury. No club is going to give you a contract if you might not come back the same player. I feel for him because by all accounts he was quite happy when he was playing.
“I know Conte has his ways, but he is still a top manager and one that I would like to play for. He demands the highest standards, which is great. Conte won’t authorise a permanent deal if he is not fit.
“So it might be a blow for him to go back to his parent club, but no club is going to pay money because anything can happen. He could break down again. Conte will know what to do and will give the thumbs-up or down.”
TIF Thoughts on McAvennie’s comments…
Will Spurs finish in the top four?
Yes!
No!
Despite only arriving midway through the last campaign, Kulusevski finished third for goals (5) and joint-second for assists (8) among his teammates in north London.
In 525 minutes of Premier League action this term, he has scored once and made another four, becoming a key member of the side going forward.
The 27-cap international is also ranking as Antonio Conte’s fifth-best performer (WhoScored) while placing in the top four among players at the club for shots, key passes and dribbles per 90 minutes.
Therefore, we feel the impact he has had in such a short period of time is likely to see Tottenham trigger their option to buy despite McAvennie’s fitness concerns.