Mikey Moore stole the show for Tottenham in their Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar and manager Ange Postecolgou says ‘you can’t deny’ the teenager’s talent.
The 17-year-old went close with an early header but really impressed in the second half after moving to the left wing.
He continually ran at the Dutch side’s defence in a stunning spell which nearly brought Tottenham several goals to add to Richarlison’s 53rd-minute penalty.
Postecoglou said: “It’s pretty hard for me to keep a lid on it now ain’t it?! He was exciting. You cannot deny it. There is no point denying it.
“I love the way Mikey is taking it all in his stride, he works hard every day. He wants to develop, he understands that this is a journey.
Madders knows 👊 pic.twitter.com/2dj0W2YSxB
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 24, 2024
“It’s very easy for a young guy like him, who has just turned 17, to feel like he has somehow made it, but you ever get that sense. It’s exciting, is it.
“You have got such a young player, who wants that responsibility to make an impact, rather than just sometimes with young players they are a bit worried about making mistakes. He is developing well.
“We have to be really careful about how we use him and when we use him, that is the key for us, particularly in these early stages.
“I have no fear throwing him in. absolutely not. I know and I see it every day, he’s a great young player and definitely more to come.
“The thing that gives me most confidence is how he is handling everything. I don’t think if he does hear what Madders said about him will affect him tomorrow. That’s the key thing for us.”
Spurs boss Postecoglou was also content with the way Richarlison and captain James Maddison handled the penalty incident where Rodrigo Bentancur had to intervene to tell the Brazil forward to give the ball to the stand-in captain.
“As long as they score, it doesn’t really bother me,” Postecoglou said.
“I thought Madders was outstanding today. I think he sensed in that moment Richy’s worked awfully hard and he’s kind of got his season started tonight.
“Goals are important for strikers, so I thought Madders made a great decision to give him the responsibility but Richy had to put it in the back of the net and he did that.”
