Defender Luka Vuskovic assisted and scored on his much-awaited Tottenham debut vs Reading in a pre-season fixture
The Thomas Frank era at Tottenham Hotspur began with a win over Reading on Saturday, thanks to goals from Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic.
It was a tepid first half at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, as the Spurs players looked to get some much-needed rhythm in their first pre-season fixture. The second half turned out to be competitive, with goals from Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic helping Thomas Frank enjoy a positive start to his stint as the Tottenham boss.
Vuskovic enjoyed a stellar Spurs debut outing. The youngster, signed by the North Londoners as a 16-year-old from Hajduk Split in 2023, officially arrived at the club this summer, having spent the last two seasons out on loan. He enjoyed a highly productive spell with KVC Westerlo in Belgium during the 2024/25 campaign.
The Tottenham officials were reportedly impressed by the teenager prodigy’s development on loan at KVC Westerlo, where he scored seven goals in 36 appearances. Upon completing his loan with KVC Westerlo, Vuskovic also spoke about his excitement to join the Lilywhites and take the next steps in his career.
Luka Vuskovic opens up after his Tottenham debut vs Reading
And on Saturday against Reading, the towering centre-back gave a glimpse of his high potential. Having replaced Kevin Danso at the start of the second half, Vuskovic quickly made an impact. His introduction completely changed the match, as he provided an assist and then scored himself within eight minutes.
The centre-back’s first contribution came in the 49th minute from a corner taken by new signing Mohammed Kudus. The Ghanaian whipped in the corner from the left, Vuskovic headed it on, and Will Lankshear nodded home from close range to give Spurs the lead.
Four minutes later, he was involved in the action high up the pitch once again when Kudus cut the ball back into his path. The 18-year-old showed great composure and slammed with his left foot past Reading goalkeeper Joel Pereira to double Tottenham’s tally.
Reacting to his long-awaited debut for Tottenham, Vuskovic told The Standard:
“Everything is perfect. The club is behind me. The players, the staff, the coach, everyone is helping me a lot and I’m really happy.”
Luka Vuskovic impresses on his first Spurs outing
Indeed, Vuskovic announced himself to the Tottenham faithful in style albeit in a pre-season friendly fixture. With such a display, where he made an impact at both ends of the pitch, the Croatian international has already made a positive impression to Thomas Frank and his coaching staff.
Tottenham fans will now be excited to see more of Vuskovic when the North London club take on Luton Town next Saturday.
