Ledley King is excited by the kind of talent that is emerging from the Tottenham academy, with the Spurs legend naming three players who could become top first-team prospects in the future.
Roberto De Zerbi has said that he is willing to trust young players if they show they are good enough, insisting that age will not be a factor in his selection decisions.
Tottenham have taken a huge contingent of academy players on the pre-season tour to New Zealand and Australia, with many of them having an opportunity to catch the eye of the Italian and his coaching staff.
Many teenagers got plenty of minutes in the club’s first two pre-season friendlies of the summer against MK Dons and Auckland, and three in particular have caught the eye of a Spurs legend.
Ledley King urges Luca Williams-Barnett to follow Harry Kane’s example at Tottenham
The name on the lips of most Spurs fans over the last week is that of Luca Williams-Barnett, who delivered a midfield masterclass in the club’s 1-0 win over MK Dons.
The 17-year-old, who made his senior debut last season in the Carabao Cup, is rated very highly at the Hotspur Way academy, and King has urged him to follow the example set by Harry Kane in terms of mentality and hard work.
When asked about Williams-Barnett, the legendary centre-back told Football.London: “Luca’s a talent. He’s certainly a talent. I’m always careful not to put too much pressure on these young players. There’s a lot of hard work ahead for him, but there’s no doubt that he’s someone with great ability,” he said.
“It will be down to him to work on that. He’s seen players like Harry Kane before him come through the academy and, through sheer hard work and determination, put himself in a position where he was able to kick on and have the wonderful career he did, as well as having, of course, his talent.
“But the work and the belief that he had really did make a huge difference. He’s got no better person to look at than Harry Kane, but yes, there’s no doubt we’re excited by his talent and the next part will be up to him.”
Two teenage Spurs centre-backs have caught Kings’ eye
Being a centre-back himself, the 45-year-old has paid particular close attention to the young defenders coming through the academy.
18-year-old Malachi Hardy has been praised by De Zerbi, while 17-year-old Jun’ai Byfield impressed in his senior appearances during the club’s injury crisis last season.
Speaking about the pair of defenders, King said: “They’re talented, two really talented centre-backs. The great thing for them is that they have a lot of great centre-backs to work with and look at on a daily basis to see what levels they need to get to.
“I think that’s always important. When I was a young centre-back, you’re always looking ahead into what position you eventually want to get to, and you’re looking at their strengths and weaknesses.
“So they get a chance to do that and see the defenders at the real top level of the game and get an understanding of where they need to eventually try to get to. But there’s no doubt they have great talent and great potential. Inside the club, we’re obviously really excited about them.”