Tottenham loanee Dane Scarlett is starting to find his feet at Oxford United
Championship newbies Oxford United signed Tottenham Hotspur academy talent Dane Scarlett on a season-long loan in August.
Dane Scarlett, who has made 17 first-team appearances for Spurs, spent the first half of last season on loan at Ipswich Town in the Championship. However, he failed to score in 12 appearances as Ipswich Town secured promotion to the Premier League under Kieran McKenna.
The England youth international would have hoped for a change in fortunes in the Championship this time around, but it wasn’t the case. The centre-forward endured a tough start to life at Oxford United, mustering only 36 minutes across four Championship outings while being an unused substitute on three occasions.
It took until October 22 for Scarlett to start his first Championship game of the season and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring in the 1-1 draw with Derby County at the Kassam Stadium. That followed his late equaliser off the bench in a 1-1 draw with West Brom at home, once again in the Championship.
Having recently netted in back-to-back games and with things looking positive now for the 20-year-old striker, Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham is delighted with how Scarlett is slowly turning things around at Oxford United. He believes the Tottenham loanee will continue to score goals as long as he continues to start for the Championship outfit.
“I’m thrilled for Scarlett, really pleased for him,” Wenham exclusively told Tottenham News.
“This is exactly what he needed, and I expect him to keep his place in the starting lineup. As long as he is scoring, they can’t really take him out of the team.
“Therefore, if he continues to get minutes, I’m more than happy for him to remain with Oxford United until the end of the season.
“If he does get minutes, I know that he will continue to score. He has been picked at every age group for England for a reason.”
It is great to see Scarlett starting to find his feet in the Championship and adding value to the Oxford side. After scoring in back-to-back matches, he was handed a start against Championship league leaders Sunderland last weekend. However, the youngster fired a blank as Des Buckingham’s side were beaten 2-0 at the Stadium of Light.
Nonetheless, it was a learning experience for Scarlett and he will be raring to get back among the goals when Oxford host Swansea City on Saturday. A strong loan in the Championship will improve the Englishman’s chances of featuring in the first team at Spurs next term.
