Tottenham’s academy director Simon Davies has said that while there is a lot of excitement around Mikey Moore, everyone at the club is being cautious about the youngster’s development and are not getting carried away just yet.
Moore has turned plenty of heads with his performances at academy level at Spurs over the last couple of years, with several journalists waxing lyrical about the teenager over the last few months (Tom Barclay – The Tottenham Way Podcast).
The 16-year-old winger has scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in just 12 matches in the Under-18 Premier League this season and has also impressed for England’s Under-17s at the UEFA U17 Euros.
The teenager was handed his senior Tottenham debut by Ange Postecolgou against Manchester City earlier this month, replacing James Maddison in the dying stages of the encounter, becoming the youngest-ever player to represent Spurs in the Premier League and also made a late cameo in the 3-0 win over Sheffield United.
However, Davies pointed out that Moore is still very young and has to take one step at a time rather than getting carried away.
Spurs academy director calls for calm over Mikey Moore
When asked about the Spurs academy winger, he told The Standard: “It’s encouraging that the manager sees something in Mikey but it is just potential at the moment. He’s a 16-year-old boy. He’s not 17 until August, so he’s a young boy with high potential. We have several of them in the academy.
“It’s exciting for the academy to have a player so young on the bench. But we have to stay calm and consistent. Because at the moment, it is just [potential].”
Davies revealed that he has communicated the same to Moore, remarking that the youngster is keeping his head on his shoulders and working hard.
He added: “I spoke to him this morning while he was having his breakfast about staying calm and consistent and keep working hard every day, do the small things right [because] the small things get noticed.
“He’s super mature for a young boy so let’s hope his potential is fulfilled but unfortunately we haven’t got a crystal ball. So we just have to do all the things right every day and stay consistent and calm.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Just because a player is considerably better than his peers at 16 does not mean that the same trajectory of development is guaranteed to continue over the next five years or so.
We have seen loads of wonder kids fail to have the careers that they seemed destined for, which is why it would be premature to get carried away by Moore’s talent but at the same time, you have to admit he is a very special talent and hopefully he continues on the same path.