Tottenham Hotspur attacker Dejan Kulusevski has admitted that he is motivated by 'revenge' ahead of the London club's Premier League clash with Manchester City.
The 22-year-old signed for Spurs last January - joining with his then-Juventus teammate Rodrigo Bentancur. The Sweden international has impressed since arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, registering seven goals and 14 assists in 37 appearances.
Kulusevski, who scored in the defeat to City last month, has admitted that he was relishing proving his doubters wrong after his move to England was questioned by some people. The forward suggested that it has motivated him to deliver for Spurs as he looks to help Antonio Conte's side climb the table.
ALSO READ: City make one Champions League squad change after Cancelo loan exit
Speaking ahead of the clash with Pep Guardiola's side on Sunday, Kulusevski said: "That’s how you want to be as a person – when you come into a room, you want to change the energy, you want to bring something to the table.
"That’s what I try to do and that’s what Rodrigo did. I had a lot of revenge in my head. From Juventus. In the last few months, I didn’t play so much. A lot of anger. I didn’t like where my football was going. So, it was just revenge for that. That’s all I wanted… to show people what I could do, so I came here."
Kulusevski has scored in both the matches he has played against the Blues while at Spurs, most recently in City's 4-2 comeback victory at the Etihad in January. The 22-year-old has admitted that the London club have not been good enough so far this term, but insisted that they were pushing to improve.
He added: "In all the big games this season, we haven’t been good enough," he added. "We have lost them. That’s why we are fifth. It’s important we get this win. We were close a couple of weeks ago at City. We played an amazing first-half but not in the second. The time to push on is now."
Spurs will be without their manager on Sunday, with Conte recovering from surgery to remove his gallbladder. Kulusevski has suggested that the team will do everything possible to secure the victory for their boss.
"Absolutely, if he is not there and we win, he will be the happiest man on earth," he said. "Bringing joy to people is always a good thing. We have a lot of responsibilities to play for him. Even when he is not here, we have to do what he has taught us.
"We are professional and have a job to do but, besides that, we are humans, we have feelings. He doesn’t show it, really. He doesn’t complain. He’s really strong. He is an example. But I think people should be aware that it’s been a really, really tough year."
READ NEXT:
