23-year-old thinks Tottenham exit has made him a ‘better player’, now he’s looking to beat Conte

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Tottenham face Marcus Edwards tonight and the Sporting Clube de Portugal star has been reflecting on his time with the North London club.

Not everybody can become Harry Kane.

It’s the boyhood dream; to rise up through the ranks with your club and become an all-time legend.

Kane is living that dream but others have had to leave Tottenham in order to realise their first-team ambitions elsewhere.

Kyle Walker-Peters is one such example having moved on to Southampton whilst Marcus Edwards decided to go a little further afield.

Tottenham face Marcus Edwards tonight

Edwards was tipped to be Tottenham’s next big thing when he was emerging through the Spurs ranks.

A diminutive winger with great balance, dribbling and a low centre of gravity, Edwards looked like an outstanding talent.

Mauricio Pochettino gave Edwards the big sell, admitting that he saw similarities between Edwards and Lionel Messi.

That comparison immediately raised expectations surrounding Edwards but it just didn’t happen for him at Tottenham.

Edwards found it difficult to break through and was then let go by Tottenham after disappointing loan spells at Norwich City and Excelsior Rotterdam.

Edwards jetted off to Portugal with Vitoria de Guimaraes and started to fulfil his potential, racking up 20 goals and 14 assists in 96 outings.

Sporting pounced to sign Edwards in January and he is already showing his quality, bagging six goals and six assists in 22 appearances.

Edwards bagged a goal and assist for Sporting in their 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last week and would no doubt love to repeat the trick this evening.

This is Edwards’ first game against Spurs since his exit and Tottenham fans will now get a close look at the 23-year-old.

Edwards has now told the Daily Mail that it will be a ‘strange’ feeling to go up against Tottenham having spent so long there.

Edwards added that he thinks his journey from Tottenham wonderkid to leaving for Portugal has made him a better player – and he is now ready to try and terrorise Antonio Conte’s side tonight.

“The feeling is a bit strange,” said Edwards. “I was at the club for so long, half my career. So it’s crazy to think I’m going to be playing against Spurs in a Champions League fixture. It will bring back a lot of good memories. I still remember training at the old training ground after school. The club has grown a lot since. And I still have some old team-mates who broke through the first team so it will be good to see them.”

“I think this journey has made me into a better player. It has helped me grow up in a lot of ways. I’ve had to learn things on my own in a way and get my head down and focus in a new environment. It’s not easy moving away from friends and family but I did it so I can better my future. Vitoria was a club that pushed me and allowed me to showcase myself,” he added.