Graham Roberts believes that a clutch of young Tottenham Hotspur players could be given a major opportunity to impress in the Europa Conference League this season.

Spurs qualified for the competition after finishing seventh in the Premier League last season.

It certainly wasn’t their main objective, with the Conference League the third-tier European competition, behind the Champions League and the Europa League.

New Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo has involved a number of youngsters in pre-season, including Alfie Devine and Dane Scarlett.

Devine is just 16, while Scarlett is 17, and they have each made their first-team debuts for the club.

The former played in the FA Cup clash with non-league Marine last season, scoring in the 5-0 win, while Scarlett has made three appearances, a one-minute cameo against West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League and also against both Ludogorets and Wolfsberger in the Europa League, providing an assist in the latter.

And Roberts believes that players of their kind will have a major opportunity in the Conference League this term.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “It’s brilliant to play in that Europa Conference, I think a lot of youngsters will be given chances in that. What you’ve got to be careful of is that you don’t play too many and you get knocked out, and everyone’s having a go at you because it’s the Conference.

“So they’ve either got to take it 80 or 90 per cent serious or they just say ‘it’s just for the youngsters and we’re not bothered about it’.

“So it’s down to what the manager and what the club want to do with it. But those two could learn a lot in that competition this year, very, very much so.”