The 17-year-old was the only one of Tottenham’s next generation to get a run-out against Paris Saint-Germain.
With Marcus Edwards, Shayon Harrison and Kazaiah Sterling all missing Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season tour of the United States, it gave a chance to some of the club’s other teenage prospects, and one in particular could be about to push his way up the pecking order.
While Kyle Walker-Peters, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Josh Onomah were always expected to get more chances next season, the same cannot be said of 17-year-old Tashan Oakley-Boothe, but on recent evidence he could be the next in line to stake his claim.
While the young midfielder got a 45-minute run-out against the Ligue 1 giants, the rest of his young teammates had to make do with a watching brief.
Tottenham had six other rarely seen prospects on the bench, but only Oakley-Boothe got a chance to prove his worth and that suggests he is the player Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is looking to in the absence of Edwards.
The latter is expected to become a first-team regular for Tottenham in the next few years, but Oakley-Boothe also has what it takes to follow Edwards into the senior side and he could have the advantage of staking a claim while his fellow teenager enjoys a well-earned rest.
Pochettino has showed he is not afraid to give youth a chance. However with the 17-year-old the only ‘new’ player to get an opportunity against PSG, it seems the stage is set for his breakthrough if he embraces it.
The player himself took to Twitter after his appearance, hoping it was the first of many outings for the North London club, and if he continues on his current trajectory he should have nothing to worry about in that regard.
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