Jose Mourinho reveals why he handed PL debut to Dane Scarlett against West Brom
Speaking to BBC Radio5 Live (h/t Evening Standard), Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that he wanted to be the one to hand Dane Scarlett his debut as the teenager will grow into a special player.
A product of the Tottenham academy, Scarlett got his first taste of senior football when he became the youngest player to make his debut for the club in the 4-0 Europa League win over Ludogorets. (h/t Football.london)
Scarlett has been training with Mourinho’s first-team this season even though he continues to play for the Under-18s, for whom he has been in sensational form, having scored 18 goals in just 12 games this term. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Now, the young forward also has the unique distinction of Tottenham’s youngest-ever Premier League player when he came off the bench in stoppage time of Sunday’s 2-0 win over West Brom, aged 16 years and 320 days.
And Mourinho, revealing the reasoning behind sending Scarlett on against the Baggies, has claimed that he wanted to be the one handing the teenager his debut as he believes the youngster is meant for special things.
“He did not touch the ball I do not think. “But for me the feeling of the kid also coming on means a lot for the academy, means [a lot] for the kid because he is 16, and means [a lot] to me because I wanted to be the one to put him on in a Premier League match. Because I know that he will be somebody in a few years.”
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Scarlett has been making all the right noises in his fledgeling career. Even though he did not play for long, the moment will have certainly been a special one for him. It’s unfortunate than fans are not allowed into stadiums. But, if his form for the U-18s is something to go by, we’ll see plenty more of him in the years to come.
