Dejan Kulusevski gives blunt verdict on Tottenham’s Australia trip and hints at fitness levels
Dejan Kulusevski has been speaking about Tottenham’s decision to play a post-season friendly against Newcastle United in Australia, which drew criticism so close to the end of the Premier League campaign.
Dejan Kulusevski has revealed that Tottenham’s decision to play a post-season friendly against Newcastle United in Australia “was hard to accept”. Following the final whistle in Tottenham’s 3-0 win at Sheffield United on the final day of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Ange Postecoglou and his Spurs squad immediately headed for the airport to jet off to Melbourne.
It was very much a whistle-stop tour with Spurs returning to England after a 5-4 penalty shootout defeat against the Magpies following a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes on the Wednesday evening. Eddie Howe’s team did in fact stay in Australia for slightly longer as they had another friendly game on the calendar before departing the country.
Spurs’ decision to head to Australia for just one game was a major talking point and many supporters made their feelings crystal clear. Now on international duty for Sweden, Kulusevski was asked about the visit to Australia and he himself delivered a very honest verdict after flying all the way across the world for one friendly fixture.
“It was hard, but sometimes you just have to accept that you can’t decide everything in life,” said the attacker, as reported by Fotbollskanalen (via Sport Witness). “The club made the decision that we had to go there and then I had to make the best of the situation.
“Of course it was tough. It was hard to accept, but nothing can be done. Others decide.”
Kulusevski’s season hasn’t quite come to an end just yet with friendlies against Denmark and Serbia on the agenda over the coming days. Putting in the work ahead of the final two games of his 2023/24 season, the ex-Juventus man is clearly just looking forward to a rest as he admitted he is “just trying to give everything that I have left”.
“I work hard. No, but it’s a last push before the holidays. I’m just trying to give everything I have left. Then I’ll relax,” he admitted.
“I had to practice. I can’t come to matches unprepared. I had been training anyway. It was nice to be able to be with the other friends in the team.”
