Ange Postecoglou has highlights the reason why he will start 18-year-old star ahead of popular first XI ‘sensation’ against Brighton.
Tottenham Hotspur will hope to maintain their momentum when they head to Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday evening.
Ange Postecoglou‘s Spurs have turned a corner in recent weeks, registering three Premier League wins in a row to remain within touching distance of the top four.
At the same time, there hasn’t been much of a let-up in terms of their personnel crisis. They’ll be without two more key players for the trip to the south coast.
On Wednesday, Postecoglou confirmed at his pre-match presser that Cristian Romero will likely be out for the next four to five weeks due to a hamstring strain.
With Micky van de Ven still absent due to a hamstring strain of his own, the Spurs boss once again finds himself without his first-choice centre-back pairing.
The likelihood is that Postecoglou will go with a back four of Pedro Porro, Emerson Royal, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie from the off.
This was the back line that helped Tottenham draw 3-3 away at Manchester City earlier this month.
However, there’s also a chance we may finally see one of Spurs’ summer signings finally make his debut.
Ashley Phillips has ‘every attribute’ to shine for Tottenham
At the start of August, Tottenham signed defender Ashley Phillips from Blackburn Rovers for a reported £3million fee.
Speaking about Phillips during his time in charge at Ewood Park, former Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray said, as per the Evening Standard: “He’s 6ft 4in, he’s fast, mobile and can pass it really well.
“He can use both feet, he’s composed. Ash is just a phenomenal young boy. If you were to create a defender in the mold of how you would want one, this kid has got every attribute.”
Postecoglou was reportedly ready to hand the 18-year-old his debut in November, but sadly an injury he picked up on international duty put paid to that.
However, Phillips returned to fitness ahead of schedule and made the bench for the win over Everton last time out.
With that in mind, Postecoglou may well look to finally hand the player his first competitive appearance for the Lilywhites when they head to Brighton.
