Ange Postecoglou has praised Mikey Moore’s maturity but admitted it will be “pretty hard to keep a lid” on the Tottenham Hotspur winger’s talent after he was compared to Neymar by James Maddison.
Moore became the youngest player to represent Tottenham in the Premier League in May when he came off the bench against Manchester City aged 16 but Postecoglou has been cautious with his playing time.
Moore, who only turned 17 in August, made his second start for Spurs in their 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday evening. He started on the right wing and showed flashes of his brilliance but he was excellent after switching to the left at half-time.
The England Under-19 international impressed with his dribbling and whipped a few dangerous crosses into the box. Maddison joked to TNT Sports after the game that “from minute 45-65 I thought we had Neymar on the left wing.”
Moore impressed in Tottenham’s victory over AZ (Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Postecoglou said of Moore after the win of AZ: “He was exciting, you cannot deny it.
“There is no point denying it. I love the way Mikey is taking it all in his stride, he works hard every day. He wants to develop, he understands that this is a journey. It’s very easy for a young guy like him, who has just turned 17, to feel like he has somehow made it, but you never get that sense.
“It’s exciting. You have got such a young player, who wants that responsibility to make an impact, rather than just sometimes with young players they are a bit worried about making mistakes. He is developing well. We have to be really careful about how we use him, and when we use him, that is the key for us, particularly in these early stages.”
Moore has made three appearances off the bench in the league this season but he was an unused substitute in last weekend’s 4-1 victory over West Ham United. He will hope to be involved when Spurs travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
(Top image: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
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