New Tottenham Signing Dejan Kulusevski Wears The Number 44 Shirt Because Of Adnan Januzaj
The love affair we didn't know we needed.
New Tottenham Hotspur signing Dejan Kulusevski chooses to wear the number 44 shirt because his 'idol' is former Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj.
Spurs announced Kulusevski on deadline day and he joins on an initial 18-month loan deal from Juventus, with an option to buy from the Serie A giants.
The 21-year-old has worn number 44 for Atalanta, Parma and Juventus and according to The Athletic, it's all down to Januzaj.
Kulusevski watched Januzaj play for United in a friendly in Sweden when he was a teenager and became absorbed in the Belgium international's 'fearlessness' on the ball.
Januzaj was named on the bench for Sir Alex Ferguson's final game as United manager in 2013, when he was just 18-years-old.
He'd break into the first team the following season and signed a lucrative contract to ward off Paris Saint-Germain.
After that however, his Old Trafford career started to faulter despite being given the number 11 shirt.
The winger wasn't fancied by Louis van Gaal or Jose Mourinho, spending time on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland before joining Real Sociedad on a permanent deal in 2017.
Januzaj is still with Sociedad and face United in the Europa League last season.
Kulusevski was named Best Young Player in Serie A in 19/20 before winning the Copa Italia in 20/21.
His game time has been limited this season and he's only started three times in the league.
Rodrigo Bentancur has also swapped Turin for north London and joined Spurs permanently.
The 24-year-old was out of contract in the summer and Antonio Conte's side have snapped him up on a six-year deal.
Antonio Conte had been vocal about the strength of his squad in January and there have been a number of departures.
Tanguy Ndombele has joined Lyon on loan, while Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil have moved to La Liga sides Villarreal and Valencia on loan respectively.
Dele Alli is set to move to Everton after seven years with Spurs and that transfer could rise to £40 million.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy & Tottenham HotspurTopics: Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Transfers, Manchester United
Daniel Marland