Oliver Skipp has admitted that he has watched Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice closely and is trying to incorporate their presence and leadership skills into his own game.
Skipp has out-performed expectations during his loan spell at Norwich so far this season and has displayed maturity beyond his years.
The 20-year-old has not only demonstrated his ability to put out fires in front of the back four but he has also been instrumental in helping the Canaries to build their attack from deep areas.
The on-loan Tottenham man’s displays have contributed to Norwich sitting pretty at the top of the Championship table and Daniel Farke has raved about the midfielder’s attitude and ability.
Reports indicate that Jose Mourinho believes the Spurs academy graduate could be a key first-team player for the North Londoners next season.
Skipp admitted that he wants to be a player who drives his team on like Henderson and Rice do at Liverpool and West Ham respectively.
When asked about the England pair, the youngster told The Evening Standard: “I think that they [Henderson and Rice] would be more than willing [to help me].
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“I mean, Declan Rice has played over 100 Premier League games and he’s not too much older than me, so he’d definitely the one I’d be looking to talk to and just to see how he’s going about it.
“Obviously, Henderson is a Champions League winner so they are definitely players that you can learn off, watch and see what they do.
“I think with Henderson and Rice, a big part of their game is their leadership qualities. You see, on the pitch, the vocal demanding, positive attitude.
“I was watching it, because sometimes Liverpool release a clip of where you can actually hear the players and you just listen to Henderson throughout the game driving that team on and I just found that fascinating, just watching him, and definitely something with the experience that you gain I can add to my game for sure.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Skipp comes across as a humble young man who is always keen to learn and get better. One can certainly see why Mourinho touted him to be a potential future Tottenham captain. The 20-year-old could learn a lot from someone like Hojbjerg at Spurs next season as the Dane, just like Henderson and Rice, is a leader who drives his teammates on.
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