Dejan Kulusevski's boys coach Thomas Hasselgren: "Quite extreme"

Dejan Kulusevski started his career as a seven-year-old in Bromma boys. One of his coaches then was named Thomas Hasselgren, who remained in BP and coached Kulusevski for a couple of years before moving to Norway, where he is now development manager in the Vålerengen.

And despite the fact that eight years have passed since Hasselgren left BP, he clearly remembers the young Kulusevski.

- What I remember is that he was extremely left-footed. He never used his right foot, I remember clearly. Then he was good at dribbling, he never dropped his foot but it sat as glued to his foot. That's what you remember most about him, he tells SVT Sport.

Hasselgren is pleased with the success that Kulusevski has achieved over the past year.

- It's fun, especially when you know how much work is left behind. Dejan was a very diligent guy who trained very much himself. They had something called the "Grimstaligan", which also ran this year on another Christmas day. They were a bunch of young BP players who trained extra themselves, says Hasselgren.

- They had a ball with them most of the time.

That is precisely the mental that Hasselgren believes is Kulusevski's foremost trait and what has made him reach this far.

- He has a winning skull, and already had it as a youngster. He wanted to win and managed to perform even when he got pressure on him. Even when he was so young, you knew what you got from Dejan. He got better and performed better when tough matches, he says, and continues:

- The tougher matches it was, the more he managed. So that's probably what has taken him here: That he's a winner sire.

- Then he has very good offensive qualities. He is extremely good at turning his player into one-on-one situations. That's one thing that makes him stand out.

Would you have imagined that now, not even ten years later, he would be on his way to Juventus for almost SEK 400 million?

- No, it's so hard to say. There is so much to record. After all, he played in a very good team, and almost always played with those who were a year older, in the Bromma boys' first team. And few people do that at that age. And there were several good players in that team.

- But that he would be sold for so much money ... That he could be good, it was seen. But how good, it was hard to say. And that he would be so good this way early, that is quite extreme.

Kulusevski was examined today in Turin, and all indications are that he is signing for Juventus - one of the world's largest football clubs. However, Thomas Hasselgren hopes that the information that claims he continues to be loaned out to Parma season out is true.

- I think that would be pretty good for him, because then he gets guaranteed playing time and it would be important for him not to get away from it, says Hasselgren.