'Unstoppable' Tottenham star addresses Man City links after Pep Guardiola praise | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall has described receiving praise from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola recently as "fun" but downplayed suggestions that the Catalan coach was eyeing him up for a summer move.

Bergvall stood out for the six-time Premier League-winning manager during the recent encounter between the clubs that resulted in a narrow City win.

"Every time he has the ball and runs, he's unstoppable," Guardiola said of the 19-year-old Swede.

Those comment have led to speculation that Guardiola could consider Bergvall a useful addition to the ongoing squad rebuild at the Etihad Stadium. But while the youngster enjoyed being praised by such a colossus of the modern game, he isn't taking any deeper meaning from it.

Bergvall faced Man City recently / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages

"Of course it's fun, but in the big picture it doesn't really matter," Bergvall told Swedish broadcaster SVT while away on international duty this week.

"I just try to play football and develop all the time and help the team. It's always fun to get praise and you should take it in. But I try not to put too much emphasis on it."

Bergvall joined Spurs last February after impressing at domestic giants Djurgarden. The transfer cost just £8.6m and he has played a bigger role than many would have expected in his debut season. Most of Bergvall's early Spurs chances came in the Europa League, but he has been a regular starter in Ange Postecoglou's Premier League lineup since January.

More space in Manchester City's midfield is likely to soon open up. The club spent big on Nico Gonzalez from Porto during the winter transfer window, but an ageing Kevin De Bruyne is nearing the end of his contract and appears increasingly likely to depart the club after a decade of service. Ilkay Gundogan, who turns 35 in seven months' time, is also on an expiring deal.