Tottenham’s Luca Williams-Barnett tried something incredibly audacious in the FIFA U17 World Cup, and it almost came off.
There has been plenty of excitement at Spurs about Luca Williams-Barnett for a while, with the 17-year-old dominating youth football.
The attacking midfielder has scored six goals and four assists for Tottenham’s U21s domestically this season, and he became the youngest player to play for Spurs in the League Cup when he made his senior debut against Doncaster Rovers in September.
Now, the Spurs academy graduate is lighting up the international stage, showcasing his talents in front of the World at the ongoing FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.
Tottenham youngster Luca Williams-Barnett almost scores from his own half
Williams-Barnett netted a brace for England U17s against Haiti last week, making a mockery of the decision to leave him out of the tournament opener against Venezuela.
The Tottenham youngster followed that up with another sensational assist against Egypt in the final group game, ensuring England progressed to the knockout stages.
Williams-Barnett played a key role as the Young Lions overcame South Korea 2-0 on Saturday to seal their passage into the final 16.
The 17-year-old almost scored what would have been a goal of the season contender, with his audacious lob from his own half going just wide of the post.
Could Williams-Barnett get more game time at Spurs over the coming months?
Thomas Frank has expressed doubts over whether James Maddison will kick a ball this season after the attacking midfielder suffered an ACL injury in pre-season.
Dejan Kulusevski has stepped up his return from the knee injury, but the Swede is still not on the verge of returning to action.
The lack of options in the number ten role may perhaps force Frank’s hand to give Williams-Barnett more game time, and who is to say that the 17-year-old cannot replicate what Mikey Moore did last season?