Oliver Skipp has admitted that he was over the moon to meet up with his Tottenham teammate Japhet Tanganga while on international duty for England Under-21s this week.
Skipp and Tanganga have come through the ranks at the Tottenham academy together and both are expected to become key first-team stars for the club over the coming years.
The pair were named in the Young Lions squad for the Euro Under-21 along with Ryan Sessegnon, who has impressed on loan at Hoffenheim this season.
Although all three Spurs players got minutes under their belt, it was a tournament to forget for Aidy Boothroyd’s side, who were knocked out of the competition in the group stages after two defeats to Switzerland and Portugal and a narrow victory over Croatia.
Despite results not going the way he would have wanted, Skipp admitted that it was great to catch up with Tanganga after being away with Norwich all season.
The midfielder told Sky Sports during their live coverage of the U21 European Championships (as relayed by HITC): “I was really excited to see the Spurs boys because you can message them but it’s not the same compared to that face-to-face contact.
“Obviously, I have known Japh (Tanganga) for the longest. I was with the under 9’s and going on tour with, Japh. It’s been amazing that we have grown up together in the academy.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“That first tour together I remember when he was marking Ronaldo against Juventus and I was playing in midfield. We were both at the academy from the age of 10 or 11.
“We both made it. Both in the first team. So, it has been really nice to catch up with everyone.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While there is a lot of expectations on Skipp’s shoulders to establish himself as a regular in the Tottenham side next season on the back of his performances for Norwich this season, I believe Tanganga could also look at next season as the most defining one of his career so far.
Injuries prevented the youngster from hitting the ground running at the start of this campaign and building on the momentum he had from last season. However, with plenty of question marks about our situation at right-back, the 21-year-old has an opportunity to step up and stake a claim for the spot.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
