Tottenham Hotspur prolific youngster Marcus Edwards is edging closer to return to selection after being sidelined for 3 months. He has been absent since October after picking up an ankle injury and had his tonsils removed lately.
Mauricio Pochettino recently revealed that the wonder kid could soon join the senior squad in training. When asked about Edwards’ injury update, the Argentinean stated to the club’s official website:
“Always it’s up to the player. It’s true that he’s still recovering and he is very close to starting to train with the team again.”
The 17-year-old is one of the shining gems within the club’s depth and is often regarded as the next big thing. He was selected for the north London club’s pre-season tour of Australia and made full use of the playing minutes as the clamour for him to break into the first team is growing more and more. He has all passable replicas that managers look for in a winger – lots of pace to burn, trickery and ability to drag away defenders.
Being in the box-seat to feature in cup matches, his injury kept him out of last Sunday’s FA Cup triumph over Aston Villa at home. The Spurs boss completely overhauled the first 11 by handing over starts to a compendium of fringe players. Future starlets like Cameron Carter-Vickers, Josh Onomah and Harry Winks and reliable deputies like Kieran Trippier, Ben Davies, Vincent Janssen, Kevin Wimmer and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou joined force and did impress their boss.
Edwards was handed his first senior appearance for the club as a second-half substitute in their 5-0 humbling over Gillingham back in September. It came 24 hours after the youngster was hailed as one of the best products from the academy. He did show flashes of brilliance in the short 15 minutes and since then the fans have placed high hopes on him, who is also likened as a young Lionel Messi by Pochettino. Certainly a huge compliment from a manager who seeks perfection week in week out.
“He [Edwards] is a very good prospect and, potentially, he can be a top player but we need to be patient and tell him that he has a lot of talent, enough talent to be a top player, a great player but now it’s how he builds his future, that’s very important,” Pochettino mentioned, as quoted by the Telegraph. “And it’s our responsibility to tell him.”
Tottenham are a whole new team under the tutelage of Pochettino, who have turned them from top four attempters to title challengers in the space of 3 seasons in charge. His current well-oiled squad are beaming with confidence and altering the first team is close to a crime. Therefore, Edwards will be an understudy and will be hoping to pounce when situations permit.
Not long ago, the Lilywhites have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, and if the rumour does turn real, it would foreclose opportunities for the highly-rated youngster. However, talks are waning away off late and Spurs seem to have the much-needed squad depth to keep them going for the ultimate crown.
