While Tottenham Hotspur have some time to prepare for their next game, Ange Postecoglou is taking the opportunity to hand some first team training experience to younger players. The latest is Luca Gunter, with the goalkeeper spotted training with the senior team this week.
With a congested fixture list for much of the season, Premier League clubs have been handed a mini winter break this month. Spurs last played on January 14, in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United, and won’t play again until January 26, with an FA Cup tie against Manchester City.
This extended break has given Ange Postecoglou plenty of time to work with his squad at Hotspur Way. While some clubs have opted for a warm-weather break, Spurs have decided to stay close to home, with the manager looking to blend ‘work and rest’ (Football.London).
With a number of players out injured, or away on international duty, or even heading out of the club during the January transfer market, this break is also a chance for Postecoglou to get a better look at a wider range of players in his squad.
Luca Gunter trains with first team
One such player to benefit seems to be academy goalkeeper, Luca Gunter. In a recent video shared on SpursPlay, Gunter can be seen working on drills with the goalkeeping coaches and training alongside first team stoppers Guglielmo Vicario and Fraser Forster.
Gunter is yet to make his first team debut, and may have a wait on his hands given the number of goalkeepers ahead of him in the pecking order.
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It will be great for a young player like Gunter to be working alongside the first team, giving him something to work towards, while also learning so much from the experience, too. Being a young goalkeeper must be so hard, though. It’s not like outfield players who might get a sniff of first team action here or there—as a keeper you have to be so patient to get a proper opportunity between the sticks.