Tottenham Hotspur youngster Dane Scarlett is on fire right now, with another goal for Oxford United after being rewarded with his first start for the Championship outfit.
Another loan crisis averted
Much was expected of Scarlett when he joined Oxford on loan for the season, with the newly-promoted side seen as the perfect place for the 20-year-old to develop this year.
Scarlett was looking to bounce back after a severely disappointing 2023/24 campaign, where he struggled for minutes with Ipswich Town as they stormed to promotion to the Premier League.
After eight games this season, Scarlett must have feared he was stuck in another nightmare situation, with his only start for Oxford coming in the Carabao Cup, no goals to his name, and just 59 minutes under his belt in the league.
However, after being introduced as a substitute with his side trailing West Brom at the weekend, Scarlett was able to register his first goal for the U’s, sealing a point with an injury-time equaliser.
A second goal for Dane Scarlett
Now, he’s doubled his tally. In a home tie against Derby County, Scarlett was given his first start in the Championship by Oxford manager Des Buckingham, and he repaid that faith after just 12 minutes.
Lurking in the centre-forward area, Scarlett waited for the perfect opportunity to make his move into the box as his teammates built an attack around him.
When Idris El Mizouni whips the ball across the box, Scarlett darts in front of his man, and applies a neat finish by sweeping the ball past the Derby keeper from 10 yards out.
Floodgates open… hopefully
Here’s hoping this is the start of a purple patch for Dane Scarlett now. He really needs this, as it looked as though his career, which was so full of promise, could be approaching a disappointing dead end of late.
Even when he gets back to Hotspur Way, he will have to compete with the likes of Will Lankshear for a spot in the Tottenham first-team, so this loan is a huge opportunity to impress at a senior level.