Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dejan Kulusevski praised after draw with AS Roma in UEFA Europa League

Joe Cole and Peter Crouch were effusive in their praise of Tottenham midfielder Dejan Kulusevski after his eye-catching display in the UEFA Europa League draw with Roma.

The Sweden international was a constant threat in an end-to-end game, providing a superb assist for Brennan Johnson's goal after driving down the left flank and placing a low cross into the box.

And Cole and Crouch were particularly impressed by Kulusevski, who backed up an excellent display against Manchester City last weekend with another strong performance in the 2-2 draw with Roma.

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"He's a magician," Cole said on TNT Sports. "He's such a good player.

"Tottenham are going to score so many goals with those two [Kulusevski and Johnson] combining this season."

Cole also acknowledged the selection headache for Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, given both Kulusevski and James Maddison operate in similar areas.

"The reason he's getting the nod over Maddison [is] off the ball, he's very good," Cole said. "He sets the press, but I think you can get both of them in the side.

"Players who can handle the ball – technicians, technicians, technicians – especially the way Ange Postecoglou plays, those players can be so exciting."

Crouch added: "He's in that deeper position, and it might frustrate Maddison because you probably can't play both of them there. But in this central area, he's got more of a free role, and he can run and get behind people. He's so good in these areas.

"He's not blessed with tremendous pace, but the way he moves, he can run all day, the way he creates and gets out of tight positions, and his intelligence is wonderful to watch. He's playing with so much confidence."

While Kulusevski's performance was a major positive for Spurs, Mats Hummels' late equaliser put a dampner on the mood in north London.

Both sides had plenty of chances in a game characterised by lapsed defending, and Crouch insisted improvement will be necessary if Tottenham are to challenge for the Europa League title.

"It's very much been Tottenham's season, that," the former Spurs striker said. "Not being able to kill games at times, they've looked electric going forward but vulnerable at the back. Towards the end of the game, they were hanging on.

"I think that's the lack of control that the manager is talking about, frustrated by the fact it should have been easier. That's been too many times for Tottenham this year. They have that vulnerability.

"They need to win something this year. The Europa League is something big for them, but the League Cup against Manchester United is a big game. I think they can definitely win something.

"They have the manager to do it and the players to do it, it's just a mentality thing to get it over the line."

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