Credit: Imago

James Barker

Wed 3 June 2026 8:10, UK

Luka Vuskovic banked an impressive individual display in Croatia’s defeat to Belgium on Tuesday night, showing again why the Tottenham Hotspur talent is in high demand.

The 19-year-old is hoping for a memorable summer ahead, after he was named in Croatia’s World Cup squad for the upcoming tournament.

A strong showing on the world stage would complete what has been an excellent 2025-26 campaign for the youngster, having shone out on loan with German Bundesliga outfit Hamburg last term.

So much so that he was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season, and he’s now reportedly drawing significant transfer attention from some top clubs across European football.

Tottenham will be hoping he’s still their player by the time the 2026-27 season starts, but that’s currently not a certainty by any means.

How did Luka Vuskovic fare for Croatia vs Belgium?

Vuskovic has been tipped to land Spurs a big fee if he was to be sold this summer, whilst there has been talk of a potential loan return to Hamburg for next season too.

It’s been reported that the teenager won’t be making any decisions on his future, or over signing a new deal with Tottenham, until after his World Cup campaign has finished.

Indeed, his national team is where his focus currently lies, with Croatia now having just one more friendly against Slovenia this Sunday before they jet off for North America.

Zlatko Dalic’s side were in action on Tuesday night at home to Belgium, but they were beaten 2-0 thanks to goals from Youri Tielemans and Romelu Lukaku respectively.

Vuskovic played the full 90 minutes for Croatia, and despite being part of a defence that leaked two goals, the Tottenham youngster put in a good individual performance.

As per FotMob, he completed 73 of his 74 pass attempts successfully, whilst also taking 90 touches, playing three passes into the final third and delivering all four of his long ball attempts accurately.

Meanwhile, Vuskovic also won two tackles, made three clearances, four interceptions and five recoveries, as well as winning three ground duels and two aerial duels respectively.

Spurs fans to get close look at Vuskovic at World Cup

Naturally, many Tottenham fans will be rooting on England at this summer’s World Cup, and that presents them with a big opportunity to get a real good look at their highly-rated defender.

That’s because Croatia and England make up two of the teams in Group L, with the pair set to meet on Wednesday 17 June at 9pm UK time.

Should Vuskovic play for the Croats in that game, then testing himself against some top forwards from across European football will be a fascinating measure of how far along in his development he is.

If he was to help keep the Three Lions attacking quiet, then Vuskovic will surely send a clear message to Tottenham chiefs that he’s ready to be a big player in N17 for 2026-27 and beyond.

On the flip side, however, it may also serve to put his name firmly in the shop window to other top clubs, in what looks set to be a massive tournament in terms of implications for his club football future.