Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has been gushing over academy prospect Dane Scarlett in the build-up to the FA Cup clash against Middlesbrough.
The Lowdown: Chance vs Boro?
Scarlett is a 17-year-old centre-forward who was a regular for Tottenham’s U18 side before he made the step-up to U23 football last summer. For the U18’s, the attacker scored a phenomenal 23 goals in 23 appearances, whilst he netted a further four in 12 U23 games.
The U19 England international has featured scarcely for the senior side, mainly coming in the UEFA Europa Conference League, where he has totalled 170 minutes across 3 games, but could get a chance in the cup on Tuesday night.
Most of his playing time came under former manager Jose Mourinho, who was a huge admirer of Scarlett, having claimed that “he will be somebody in a few years”.
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The Lowdown: Conte’s high praise
When questioned in his latest press conference about Scarlett’s involvement in the game against Leeds, Conte made a firm claim about the Spurs youngster.
As quoted by football.london, he said:
“I don’t give a gift to my players, even if you’re 17 years old. I think Dane is working hard, he is a really good prospect from the academy.
“At this moment for sure the best prospect from the academy. But we have a couple of really good players training with us and improving. Dane has to continue to work very hard.
“We have to find the best solution in training because in the past he had many, many injuries. But he has great potential, he’s only 17, he has to continue to improve, to grow, to understand and to think about football.
“It was a signal for him because he deserved this opportunity to play a few minutes. I don’t give a gift to anybody. They have to deserve this opportunity.”
The Verdict: Perfect motivation
With such high praise coming from the Italian, it would not come as a surprise to see Scarlett getting more game time as the season progresses - the fact that a manager of Conte's ilk is so keen to stress how hard the youngster is working to deserve his chance speaks volumes.
The 17-year-old may even see himself being thrown in the deep end if Harry Kane suffers an injury, as has often happened around this time of the year in seasons gone by. Scarlett will be the only recognised striker available to Conte if Kane were to be hit by a repeat of his ankle issues.
So, the youngster’s time may come sooner than first thought, but the admiration from both Mourinho and Conte - two managers who demand so much intensity from their players - should give Lilywhites fans some confidence that Scarlett may grab his chance like a certain Mr. Kane once did.
In other news: Pundit makes Harry Kane claim after Conte news