Micah Richards amidst that he was disappointed to see Mikey Moore hooked at half-time and offered a reason why we have not seen the best of the Tottenham winger of late.
Mikey Moore struggling since return to Tottenham XI
Tottenham fans were left very excited by the impact that Mikey Moore made when he broke into the side earlier this season, with the winger shining in the Europa League.
However, the teenager has struggled to replicate those performances since returning from his illness and has been hooked at half-time by Ange Postecoglou in both of his last two starts against Brentford and Aston Villa.
In the FA Cup clash at Villa Park, the Spurs midfield was getting overrun in the first half, which is why the Australian coach decided to sacrifice the 17-year-old and bring on Yves Bissouma. Micah Richards was not a fan of that decision.
Micah Richards wanted to see Mikey Moore get more minutes
Richards suggested that the Spurs academy graduate’s struggles recently might be down to the fact that Tottenham are not firing on all cylinders as a side. The pundit admitted that he was ‘gutted’ when he saw Postecoglou take off Moore at the interval at Villa Park.
Richards said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “Mikey Moore, unfortunately, I think he’s been taking off at half-time in his two last games. He’s doing really well in Europe, but he’s finding it difficult.”
Gary Lineker replied: “He did hit a great cross for Son’s chance, though. That was a really good ball in his, you know. And he’s only 17, isn’t he?”
Richards added: “But he’s really good, but because Spurs have been struggling, he’s not been able to show his best self. And when you’re playing in sometimes a lesser team in Europe, he looks really good. So I was gutted when he got brought off at half-time.”
Postecoglou might be managing Moore’s minutes
We know that Moore was badly affected by his illness, and it took him a while to get back to 100 per cent. This might thus be Postecoglou‘s way of managing the teenager’s minutes and ensuring that he does not get burned out.
The 17-year-old clearly has a bright future ahead of him, but one cannot overestimate the challenges of playing at the highest level at his age. The winger will certainly be better for this experience.