Ashley Phillips is continuing to get major plaudits for Plymouth Argyle, with the centre-back’s stock growing with each appearance he makes for the Championship side.
Some may have been surprised when Tottenham made the decision to loan Phillips out in January, with Ange Postecoglou only having three full-time central defenders in his squad despite Radu Dragusin’s arrival.
However, the decision has arguably been vindicated so far, with the 18-year-old growing with confidence with each game that he plays for the Pilgrims.
This is not Phillips’s first taste of Championship football, having impressed in the competition for Blackburn Rovers last season, but going by the reviews he has been getting over recent weeks, it appears the teenager is hitting even greater heights at Home Park Stadium than he did at Ewood Park.
Phillips impresses against Leeds once more
While the on-loan Tottenham man has been solid defensively over previous weeks, he made a telling contribution at the other end of the pitch in the FA Cup clash against Leeds on Tuesday.
Phillips set up Brendan Galloway’s equaliser in the 78th minute to help Plymouth draw level at 1-1 but it was not the away side’s night at Elland Road, with Daniel Farke’s men netting three goals in extra-time to emerge 4-1 winners.
Even though Ian Foster’s men ended up conceding four, the Spurs youngster came in for plenty of praise for his display.
Plymouth Live gave the centre-back a seven out of 10 rating and wrote about him: “Has slotted in well to the role on the right of Argyle’s defensive trio under Ian Foster.
“It is easy to forget at times that the loan signing from Tottenham Hotspur is only aged 18, both in terms of his physical stature and composure in the thick of the action. Came up with a great assist for Brendan Galloway’s Argyle equaliser.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While one cannot jump to any conclusions since it is still early days for Phillips at Plymouth, the indications are that the teenager is already too good for the Championship.
Tottenham would be seriously considering loaning out the youngster to a Premier League side next season so that he can test himself at the highest level.