“That’s what I did”- Ex-PL referee suggests 21-year-old Tottenham midfielder should try this Marouane Fellaini trick to avoid bookable offences

Oliver Skipp told to follow Marouane Fellaini trick at Tottenham Hotspur after racking up yellow cards

In conversation with Football Insider (h/t Football.london), Keith Hackett spoke about Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp and how he can follow Marouane Fellaini’s trick to avoid suspension in the Premier League.

The 21-year-old midfielder has been a regular feature under Nuno Espirito Santo and is a dependable asset since the start of the season. He had gone out on loan to Norwich City last season where he played 47 matches for the Canaries across all competitions.

This seems to have played a great role in his development and the youngster is slowly starting to cement a regular starting position in the senior squad under the Portuguese manager. He has started all the 7 PL matches for the Lilywhites this season.

Tottenham Hotspur starlet Oliver Skipp joined Norwich City on loan last summer

Oliver Skipp has created quite a solid pairing with fellow midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the pitch but Hackett has highlighted a point where the youngster still has some improvements to make.

These are still early days for the young player and a little more experience in top-flight football could help him retain his composure and avoid such bookings constantly. Hackett suggested that the North London club could bring in a member from PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Board) to discuss these finer details and the necessary precaution to avoid any unfortunate incident. 

The former Premier League referee went on to reveal that he had earlier tried this move when he handled a similar situation with Marouane Fellaini at Everton:

Oliver Skipp has been urged to reduce his bookable offences with Tottenham Hotspur

“That’s what I did with Fellaini way back in his Everton days with David Moyes who had 10 quick yellow cards. David Moyes and I spoke about it and we both wanted to avoid yellow cards. The outcome was a positive one, generally. That’s what Tottenham should do. He’s 21, in football terms, he’s mature. One assumes, needs to develop his skillset and stay in control, I suppose.”

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The 21-year-old English professional still has a long way to go but has shown great signs of promise in the last couple of years. The youngster could be one of the top players at Tottenham Hotspur if he is nurtured and moulded properly.