Tottenham Hotspur’s latest victory over London rivals Chelsea proved a particularly impressive day for the club’s academy setup, with Harry Kane and Oliver Skipp – both of whom are products of the Lilywhites’ youth system – getting themselves on the scoresheet in that 2-0 triumph.
While the sight of the England skipper putting the ball in the net was no surprise to anyone, with the 29-year-old now boasting 268 goals for the north Londoners to date, it was far more of a shock to his young compatriot break the deadlock, with Skipp’s stunning long-range effort having been his first senior goal for the club.
The 22-year-old midfielder – who made his senior debut for the north Londoners back in 2018 in a Carabao Cup win over West Ham United – showed no signs of a player who had yet to break his duck for the club, having lashed in from range to give Antonio Conte’s side the lead just after half-time.
That long-awaited goal was just reward for the youngster’s patience in recent times, with the England U21 international having bided his time for a regular role in the Spurs team, only to more than take his chance following Rodrigo Bentancur’s injury blow.
As assistant coach Cristian Stellini stated post-match on Sunday, the impact of the former Norwich City loanee – as well as Kane – will be something of an “example” to those in the youth ranks who are hoping to make their mark in the years to come, with the 5 foot 9 gem a clear illustration that there is a pathway to the first-team in N17.
The aim now will be to identify just who could be the next Skipp to emerge in the near future, with Conte and co needing to keep the door open for Spurs’ emerging stars to be able to flourish at first-team level.
Who could be Spurs’ next Skipp?
If the serial-winning coach is keen to identify the next potential midfield star from the Tottenham academy, he should well look no further than promising playmaker Matthew Craig, with the 19-year-old sensation – whose identical twin Michael is also at the club – having been on the cusp of the first-team in recent times.
The versatile starlet – who can also feature at centre-back or full-back – has been seen training with Conte’s squad earlier this season, having previously featured on the bench in both the Premier League and the Europa Conference League last term.
Although a senior bow is yet to emerge, the Scotland youth international has showcased his talent with his displays across the age groups of late, notably providing three assists in 17 games at Premier League 2 level this season.
The deep-lying gem – who has captained the U21 side on numerous occasions so far this term – has previously outlined his admiration for both Skipp and another of Spurs’ midfield assets in Harry Winks, with the aim no doubt to try and emulate that pairing.
Like Skipp – who has averaged one tackle per game in the Premier League this season – Craig is also able to provide a ball-winning presence at the heart of the midfield, having averaged 1.5 tackles per game from his two EFL Trophy outings earlier in the campaign.
While it is yet to be seen if the teenage sensation will be able to make the step up to the first-team any time soon, Spurs’ weekend win over Chelsea has provided a glaring example of the benefits of promoting from within, hence the need for Conte to hand the Scotsman his chance to impress.
