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£2m Tottenham player suddenly gets unexpected chance to impress Ange Postecoglou and get into first-team
One Tottenham Hotspur youngster may have just received the best opportunity of his career to impress Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs have always been keen on signing talented young players with huge potential and helping them develop into top players. However, things haven’t always worked out.
But, Tottenham’s recruitment over the last 18 months has been excellent, with people behind the scenes doing a great job in identifying and recruiting young talents.
One teenager could catch Postecoglou’s eye – without any competition from other players in his position!
Ashley Phillips gets unexpected opportunity to impress Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham
Tottenham signed Ashley Phillips from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2023 after triggering his £2m release clause ().
The youngster was always viewed as a player for the future and was sent out on loan to Plymouth Argyle in the Championship in the second half of the 2023/24 season.
Even though Philipps only spent a few months there, he won Pymouth’s Young Player of the Season award, which is a fine achievement.
The teenager, who turned 19 in June, is back in training at Tottenham now, and there’s a great chance for him to really impress Postecoglou.
That’s because Phillips is currently the only natural centre-back available at Hotspur Way – all the seniors are either still on international duty or haven’t returned yet ().
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are with Argentina and the Netherlands national teams respectively, while Radu Dragusin is yet to return from his holiday after his participation in Euro 2024.
None of them are expected to be back in the coming days, which means Phillips could really stake a claim for a place in the Tottenham first-team squad for the 2024/25 season.
If he really impresses, he could also save Spurs millions as many still expect them to dive into the market for a new defender in this window.
It will be interesting to see how Phillips will fare in the upcoming friendlies at Hearts and QPR. He will know that he won’t get another opportunity like this one anytime soon.
READ MORE: What Ashley Phillips’ relationship with Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is really like
Another Tottenham defender is ruled out with an injury
Tottenham have an excellent academy squad right now, with many players showing huge promise behind the scenes at the club.
One of them is young Alfie Dorrington.
The 19-year-old defender has often been spotted in senior training sessions under Postecoglou and was even on the bench on 11 occasions in the 2023/24 season.
Dorrington is a gem, but he is not in contention to take part in pre-season this summer because he’s currently recovering after undergoing hamstring surgery.
The teenager is not expected to be back in action until August or potentially even September, which is a shame as we’re sure he would’ve loved the chance to impress Postecoglou in this summer’s pre-season games.