Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has decided to give the same treatment to Dejan Kulusevski as he did with Romelu Lukaku at Inter Milan by implementing bans on the 21-year-old.
The Swedish international has been a revelation since signing from Juventus on deadline day of the January transfer window, with three goals and six assists to his name after 11 Premier League appearances helping Tottenham to win six of their last seven games.
And, as reported by the Express, Conte has altered Kulusevski’s diet in order to improve his performance levels at the club by banning him from certain treats.
Since arriving in north London at the start of the year, Conte has put a stop to Kulusevski from consuming sweets and sugary drinks. And it may already be proving its worth following the 21-year-old’s start to life at the club as Spurs chase Champions League qualification.
The winger has effortlessly slotted into the right side of Tottenham’s front three alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min and the trio have been an integral part to their side’s revival over the past two months, in which they have catapulted themselves into the top four.
Conte’s team have won seven of their last nine top flight games to move three points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal, all while scoring a remarkable 28 goals in that time to become the league’s fourth highest scorers, of which Kulusevski has contributed nine (three goals, six assists).
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The Sweden international’s form has proven that Conte’s methods have worked, and the Italian will certainly feel he knows best after implementing the same bans on Romelu Lukaku during their time at Inter Milan together, where they won the Serie A title last season.
Lukaku was already one of the world’s most renowned strikers ahead of his move to Inter, but he upped his game to another level after completely overhauling his diet, going on to score 64 goals in 95 appearances for the club over two seasons under Conte.
And Kulusevski himself has even looked like a different player to the one he was at Juventus, in which he scored just once in 20 Serie A appearances this season, and is beginning to look like a bargain for just the £29.2 million Spurs will pay for him this summer.
Conte has, in fact, banned the whole Spurs squad from sugary drinks, as well as condiments, yet he added sweets to Kulusevski’s list, who reportedly had a bad habit of chewing gum when starting out at Atalanta before his move to Juventus.
He now only drinks cold still water or protein drinks in addition to other recommended alternatives and the 52-year-old has credited Kulusevski for his commitment. He said: "Everyday in training sessions he is a type of player who has it in his mind the target to become a top player in his career and as his manager I try to help him to improve and believe.
“For sure he is an important prospect for the present and for the future. He has to continue to work in this way because he has in one month and a half improved a lot physically, tactically and also in his mentality."
