Tottenham Hotspur have a number of extremely talented youngsters in their academy at the moment, from Jack Roles and Troy Parrott to Oliver Skipp and George Marsh.
However, perhaps the biggest enigma within the Tottenham youth setup is still 20-year-old Marcus Edwards.
Few players of this age have such a reputation at a club before having even kicked a ball in the senior team, but young Edwards’ name already proceeds himself.
Unfortunately, so far the winger has failed to live up to the hype in North London, which is why the decision was taken for him to move to the Netherlands to spend a season on loan at Excelsior.
Now that he is back in England, The Independent decided to hand the youngster his first interview with a British newspaper, giving an insight into the man behind the name.
Jack Pitt-Brooke writes that Edwards clearly exudes a love for the game of football, but the media side of things is where he loses his confidence.
Do you feel misunderstood?
“Yeah, I think so, I think some people don’t understand me.”
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Why?
“I don’t know, I think maybe it’s the way I talk. I think that is how it is in football.”
What are you most proud of?
“Taking players on. Just playing free football. I usually get good feedback about my playing, from players, managers. They always tell me I’m a good player.”
How hard was it moving to a new country?
“At the start of the season, I was finding it hard. I missed home a lot. It was a new country. New people. It took me a while to get used to it.”
What was the hardest thing?
“Just looking after myself was the hardest thing. Just being there all by myself. It was different for me. But I definitely learned what it takes. What you have to do every day, on and off the pitch, to be a professional footballer, how you have to live. I learned that. I think I did grow up.”
How did you find professional football?
“It took me a while to get used to it, professional football. It’s different from youth football.” It’s a very different style of football than England. But I think it helped me gain experience. I think it’s more tactical, because it’s professional football. And I noticed that the defending was different, the shape, the formation. But I think it suits me.”
What do you see when you look back on the teenage Edwards?
“I know I was a bit difficult when I was going through the academy.”
What went wrong at Norwich?
“I think maybe it was a bit unfair. The whole situation that happened at Norwich, it already played onto what Pochettino said. Even though I was definitely a lot younger then, that’s when I was growing up. It was a big misunderstanding.
“I think there were loads of things with that one. I had a back injury when I went there. I was so eager to go, I just got through the clearance training [which is] to see if you’re fit. But when I got there, and trained, I felt my back. I was in and out of training for two or three months. So that’s the main reason.
“I feel as though, once Daniel Farke said it out loud, that is when I got misunderstood a bit. Because I felt I had already grown up. I thought I was already grown up, and all the attitude stuff, that was when I was going through the academy. When I hit 19, I felt I was a bit more mature. That’s why I feel I was misunderstood.”
What do you think of Pochettino?
“It was just nice to know that the manager thought I was a good player. I just feel like he was very welcoming, he made you feel part of the team.”
How have you changed?
“I definitely think I’ve got a better attitude now. I’m just ready to kick on with my career. I think I needed this year. I know I’m a good player, I know I can do what I want to do. It has made me have a clear vision of what I want in football. I just want to get as high up to the top level as I can.”
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