Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has told the young first-teamers at the club to follow the example of “reliable” Ryan Sessegnon.
Sessegnon could earn a recall for Saturday’s visit of his former club Fulham having been an unused substitute for the midweek draw with West Ham.
It was the first time this season Conte has not used the wing-back, who started the opening matches of the campaign with Southampton and Chelsea before he had cameo roles against Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
The 22-year-old has made big strides during the past 12 months and is now viewed by his manager as a trusted option on the left, which is in contrast to Djed Spence, Pape Matar Sarr and Bryan Gil who are of a similar age to Sessegnon.
Conte said: “About Sess, we are talking about now a young player but a reliable player who I can count on for games in the Premier League or Champions League, for every game.
“You know very well I try in every game to make the right decision but in that role I am OK because I have (Ivan) Perisic and Sessegnon, two important players.
“He improved a lot and I remember very well since I arrived Sessegnon was another player. Now he is a reliable player and he has great confidence. He is strong physically and improved in his quality and technically.
“We are talking about a really good player, a young player that can become stronger but this is the difference between the other young players. We are talking about a player who played many games and is reliable for every game, not only for tomorrow or FA Cup, for every game he is ready.”
A quiet transfer deadline day saw Sarr and Gil, who both joined last summer, remain at the club and fail to secure loan moves away which could have aided their development.
Spurs manager Conte was clear on Friday the duo – alongside July arrival Spence – are not ready to compete for a starting berth in the Premier League or Champions League.
Changes could be made for this weekend’s match with Fulham but Harry Kane is expected to lead the line and has two more records in his sights.
A goal on Saturday would make him the outright third top goalscorer in the Premier League with 188 goals and a brace would see the England international go past Thierry Henry’s record of most goals in London derbies in the competition, which currently stands at 43.
“The records underline that you are doing something…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…