The 19-year-old is one of only a handful of available strikers at White Hart Lane after Harry Kane’s injury.
Tottenham’s Harry Kane receives medical attention after sustaining an injury before being substituted
Harry Kane’s ankle injury, his first serious injury since breaking into the Tottenham first team at the end of the 2013-14 season, is a big blow for Mauricio Pochettino and his side’s trophy hopes, but with the club signing Netherlands international Vincent Janssen in the summer, there is a young and hungry forward ready to step in.
But beyond that, and things get a little sparser in the Tottenham attacking ranks. Nacer Chadli, Clinton Njie and Heung-Min Son all had chances up top last season in the Europa League, with various levels of success. The first two have left the club, and Son remains a viable option although he may be best placed on the wing after recent performances.
Looking at the club’s academy options throws up several options, with Shayon Harrison and Kaz Sterling the most prominent forwards, but Spurs also have a 6’3″, 19-year-old forward called Ryan Loft who is currently with the Under-23 side.
Tottenham’s Ryan Loft in action against Nottingham Forest
As a rangy centre-forward he is much more similar to Kane and Janssen’s target man style of play than the other two youngsters mentioned, and although he seems to be further from the first team than Harrision and Sterling, he could find himself that much closer if Kane remains out for eight weeks or longer.
Loft has been gathering minutes for the club’s second string over the last couple of seasons, and was on loan at National League side Braintree Town last season, which saw him make the bench a couple of times but not get on to the pitch.
Tottenham’s Ryan Loft
This time last year he scored a hat-trick for the Under-18s, where he has been a consistent goal threat.
Loft’s chances of making the first team squad will depend on Janssen staying fit and also on whether Pochettino insists on using a centre forward he can play off, rather than the much quicker but more diminutive options he has in the youth ranks.
Of course, the Argentine is likely to consider pushing his attacking midfielders, like Son or Dele Alli, into a striker position if the worst was to happen and Janssen would also suffer an injury, but it is worth noting the various options the club has at its disposal, and that could, all of a sudden, include Loft.
Tottenham’s Vincent Janssen is set to come in for Kane
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