Journalist Pete O'Rourke has made an intriguing claim involving Tottenham Hotspur forward Bryan Gil.

The lowdown: Hot prospect

Signed from Sevilla for £21.6m (Sky Sports) just under a year ago, the 21-year-old only provided one assist in 20 outings for Spurs before returning to Spain to join Valencia on loan in January until the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

The Spanish youth international made 17 appearances for the La Liga outfit and had previously been part of the under-19 national team which lifted the European Championship title in that age category.

Having now returned to his parent club for pre-season duty, Gil started the 6-3 victory over the K-League Stars in South Korea during the week, and one well-informed onlooker has suggested that the Spaniard could play a part in Antonio Conte's side next season...

The latest: 'Great opportunity'

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O'Rourke claimed that the 21-year-old could save Tottenham from re-entering the transfer market.

The journalist said: “It could be a great opportunity for Gil. He’s obviously hit the ground running in pre-season.

“If he catches the eye of Antonio Conte over the next few weeks, he could play his way into his plans going forward and he could save Spurs a bit of money in the transfer market if Gil does show what he has previously shown in Spain.”

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The verdict: Fringe role at best

Irrespective of how the talented Spaniard fares over the coming weeks, it still seems unlikely that Gil will earn a major role in Conte's plans at Tottenham.

With wide options such as Lucas Moura, Dejan Kulesevski, Son Heung-min and summer signing Richarlison all in situ, there is already fierce competition to start in the big games.

However, the youngster - who was praised for his 'incredible energy and pressing' by Spurs writer Seb Jenkins during the recent K-League Stars clash - could still remain on the periphery of the squad and potentially play a leading role in the domestic cup competitions in what looks set to be a gruelling season for Conte's charges.

Therefore, despite links to Marseille, Tottenham would be wise to retain Gil for the upcoming term, especially if the reported admiration for Anthony Gordon fails to come to fruition.