James Maddison says he has to ‘pinch himself’ in disbelief at the quality already being shown by Tottenham teenage wonderkid Mikey Moore.
Moore became Tottenham’s third-youngest player of all time when he came off the bench in a Premier League match against Manchester City at the end of last season at 16 years, nine months and three days old.
Now 17, Moore has started to get regular chances under Ange Postecoglou, who has given the forward three outings from the bench this season against Brentford and Manchester United in the Premier League and Qarabag in the Europa League.
Tottenham paid a heavy price for injuries at the end of last season, so Postecoglou will be keen to rotate his squad now that they’re back in European competition to avoid further fitness issues.
That’s likely to result in plenty more minutes this season for Moore, who boasts an impressive record of 18 goals in 31 caps across various youth levels for England.
Maddison left ‘pinching himself’ at Spurs wonderkid Mikey Moore
Tottenham playmaker Maddison is loving what he’s seeing so far from Moore, who he believes is ‘a man already’ in terms of his power and talent.
“Mikey, I have to sometimes pinch myself and remember how young he is. He’s 17 and came into the group when he was 16,” Maddison told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday (via Football.London).
“He’s a man already. When I watch him play, he’s very powerful and only going to get stronger as his body grows.
“He’s a great kid. A really well-mannered, polite young man and that’s a credit to his parents. That’s the first thing you look to as a senior player. And then there’s that ability which we see in training all the time and the Spurs fans want to see more of.
“I try to think of what the 17-year-old James Maddison would want to hear from a senior player and it’s to be treated like a man but also give advice whenever possible.”