Another teenager could be edging closer to his Tottenham debut after Pochettino’s latest comments.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
Tottenham Hotspurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has given encouraging news regarding a couple of the latest Spurs academy products, in comments appearing in the Hertfordshire Mercury.
Speaking to the press on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s match with Stoke City, he revealed that 19-year-old fullback Kyle Walker-Peters is now regularly training with the first team, and that wonderkid Marcus Edwards is also set to join senior training on a more permanent level in the near future.
“For me it is all about performance,” he is quoted as explaining in the Hertfordshire Mercury. “If they [young players] show me in the training that that they are better than another player, then it is not a problem.
“You know that I don’t have a problem to play them. I am sure that they will have possibilities to play this season.
Kyle Walker Peters of Tottenham Hotspur in action with Ovie Ejaria of Liverpool
“We’ve added another young player to train with us in Kyle Walker-Peters and we’ll see about maybe Marcus Edwards coming to start to train regularly with us.”
Both England youth prospects have trained on occasion with the first team, but the 44-year-old’s comments suggest they are very much ascending the ranks ahead of a possible debut this season, having featured in pre-season friendlies.
Walker-Peters has recently moved up to the England Under-20 ranks, and was on the bench in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth in March.
Tottenham’s Marcus Edwards in action against Alex Sandro of Juventus
Edwards is arguably one of the country’s most exciting prospects, and alongside the fullback, will be part of a contingent of youngsters hoping to feature in the upcoming League Cup match against Gillingham.
Spurs boss Pochettino is famously an advocate of giving youth a chance, as long as the young footballers at a club’s disposal can demonstrate the required quality to make an impression in matches.
Under the Argentine, a number of young footballers at each of the clubs he has managed have pushed on and become vital first team members, with both Southampton and Tottenham developing several England internationals during his spell in charge.
It is an encouraging carrot for academy stars coming through – they have a man at their club who knows how to help players reach a competitive level sooner than they could realistically hope for.
And considering Walker-Peters, and in particular Edwards, have been vaunted as two of Tottenham’s most promising players, then it is easy to understand why Spurs fans should be excited about Pochettino’s continued faith and positivity regarding the duo, and any other youth he makes a point of discussing.
Tottenham’s Marcus Edwards may not have to wait long before making his debut
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