Marcus Edwards left Tottenham Hotspur to join Eredivisie outfit Excelsior on loan last summer.
Remember when Mauricio Pochettino likened a 17-year-old Tottenham Hotspur attacker to the one and only Lionel Messi (Sky)? Almost three years on, it seems we are finally seeing why.
Since catching the eye in pre-season ahead of the 2016/17 season, Marcus Edwards has hardly been given a chance to show why he had the Spurs boss reminiscing about his time in Spain and coming up against Barcelona’s magical number ten.
The speedy winger has made just one first-team appearance for Tottenham, against Gillingham in the EFL Cup. And a forgettable loan spell at Norwich City last season hardly did his reputation much good.
But, at the age of 20, Edwards is finally starting to show what all the fuss is about.
He moved on loan to Excelsior in Holland last summer and, after a slow start, is emerging as one of the most influential attacking talents in the Eredivisie.
The England U20 international has been nigh-on unstoppable in recent weeks. And the fact he has averaged the most successful dribbles in the Eredivisie this season (3.6 per game) explains why Pochettino saw shades of Messi, one of the greatest ball carriers of all time, in the Camden-born youngster.
In fact, Edwards has averaged more successful dribbles than the coveted Hakim Ziyech and Steven Bergwijn, as well as the electric AZ Alkmaar winger Oussama Idrissi.
While he has a long way to go to match the achievements of Messi himself, the youngster is certainly making good progress.
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