Ange Postecoglou's major Spurs boost despite Dejan Kulusevski concern ahead of Man City match

There was plenty to provide Ange Postecoglou with optimism on Tuesday ahead of Tottenham's Premier League match at Manchester City this weekend but also one little worry.

City have been buoyed by the news that Pep Guardiola is set to sign a new one-year deal with them, with the option of a further 12 months after that. Spurs got their own different form of confidence boost with a day of real attacking quality from their players on the international stage.

Captain Son Heung-min started the day with a cool low finish into the far corner after a good build-up from South Korea to level their World Cup qualifier against Palestine and the game ended 1-1. Yves Bissouma picked up his second assist in as many games for Mali, setting up their second goal, scored by Nene Dorgeles, with 17 minutes on the clock of the 6-0 win against Eswatini.

READ MORE: Tottenham release Rodrigo Bentancur ban statement explaining reason behind appeal

READ MORE: Tottenham to appeal one particular aspect of Rodrigo Bentancur's ban and it could affect Liverpool

With the score at 4-0 at half-time, Bissouma was brought off amid a triple substitution from the hosts, which will be a boost to Postecoglou in the wake of Rodrigo Bentancur's seven-game ban, the length of which Spurs are set to appeal.

The evening then brought a flurry of goals and assists. Brennan Johnson curled in a dangerous cross for Wales against Iceland which Liam Cullen headed home and then the Spurs attacker added his own goal with a trademark sprint into the box before burying a right-footed shot across the goalkeeper. It was a goal Tottenham supporters have seen plenty of this season and now means Johnson has scored nine goals for club and country during this campaign.

Ben Davies skippered Wales yet again, in his 92nd appearance for his country, and the 4-1 win secured top spot in League B, Group four.

Dejan Kulusevski put on an attacking masterclass as Sweden captain in their 6-0 victory against Azerbaijan. He opened the scoring with a low finish between a defender's legs just 10 minutes in and then set up Victor Gyokeres for his first of four goals. The Spurs man then fired home Sweden's fourth goal of the evening to continue his fine performance as the team's number 10.

Lucas Bergvall came off the bench midway through the second half and pulled off one stunning piece of skill to pirouette between two opposition players.

There was a scare for Postecoglou late on in the match though as Kulusevski was left in pain after going down holding his left shoulder. The Swede has had a few shoulder knocks in games for Tottenham in recent weeks but has always battled on and that was the same again on Tuesday evening with a grimace despite Bergvall signalling that he should go off.

Hopefully Kulusevski will be fit and available for Sunday's game at the Etihad Stadium, where the 24-year-old has often had a big impact. But Postecoglou will be awaiting the latest news on his most in-form player this season when he arrives back at Hotspur Way.

Elsewhere Will Lankshear played the full 90 minutes in England Under-20s' 1-1 draw away against Poland in the Elite League to continue the young striker's development.

Away from the football there was big news for Tottenham vice-captain Cristian Romero, as he was given leave by Argentina to be with his wife Karen for the birth of their second child, a daughter named Lucy.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link. If you're curious you can check out our privacy policy here.