Journalist says 19-year-old Spurs starlet is similar to Man City’s Julian Alvarez

The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke has likened Jamie Donley to Manchester City star Julian Alvarez, describing the Tottenham academy youngster as a ‘nine and a half’.

Donley was an attacking midfielder by trade until last season but the teenager has shown his versatility for the Under-21s so far this campaign, having operated as a number nine as well as a second striker.

One can understand why Wayne Burnett has decided to play the 19-year-old closer to the goal, with the youngster having found the back of the net six times to go with 12 assists so far this season (Transfermarkt).

Donley has been rewarded with four senior appearances by Ange Postecoglou this season, with three of those coming in the Premier League.

When asked about his favourite position, the 19-year-old told Football.London earlier this week that while he prefers playing in midfield, he is happy to play anywhere Postecoglou wants him to.

Could Jamie Donley be the next Julian Alvarez?

Pitt-Brooke has now revealed that there is a lot of excitement at Hotspur Way about Donley but it is unclear at the moment what position he will play when he matures.

The journalist told The View from The Lane Podcast: “Yeah if you speak to anyone who knows the most about this topic they all say that Donley is the best of his age group. I saw him play at the start of last season and my impression is that it’s not clear what position he will play when he grows up into senior football.

“He’s played up front a lot but he’s not a pure striker, he’s a nine and a half, some have compared him to Harry Kane, and someone I spoke to the other day compared him to Julian Alvarez at Man City who is a striker but takes up a lot of deeper positions as well.”

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Based on how Postecoglou has used Donley, the Australian clearly sees him as an option for the number ten role at the moment. Having said that, one would not put it beyond the 19-year-old to evolve into more of a centre-forward, just as Harry Kane did around the same age.