Whilst Oliver Skipp’s name be entering the conversation once more at Tottenham, it’s easy to forget that he made his full debut for the club against Burnley, all the way back in December 2018.
In fact, speaking after that clash, then Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino waxed lyrical about the club’s latest prodigy.
“He’s a proper midfielder, a very talented midfielder. He links the game well, always looking forward, very aggressive, his energy is amazing and he’s such a clever guy off the pitch as well as on it, that’s so important for the team. He’s a top player and a top kid and I’m sure he will have a very successful career.”
And even former teammate Christian Eriksen got in on the act of lauding Skipp’s debut.
“He has come up out of nowhere in training and pre-season, he is learning he is not scared of anything, he made the first mistake in the game but he didn’t make one after.”
It’s been more than a couple of years since the Spurs starlet made his first real steps into the first-team in north London, and it’s arguably been a period of time where there has been little chance for progression.
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Since that date, Skipp has made just 20 total appearances for the club – not the biggest indication of someone who Spurs feel could really form one of the main building blocks of the side.
But perhaps they should do so now. He has made eight appearances for the first-team this season, including being shown the trust to come on as a second-half substitute away against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
And his performances have certainly not gone unnoticed either.
Despite seeing his team exit the FA Cup in a penalty shoot-out against Norwich, Jose Mourinho was quick to lavish praise on the 19-year-old midfielder.
He said: “Phenomenal. Very, very good. Very, very good, solid performance. Even with the yellow card I kept him for two hours, first of all because Winks was in trouble, secondly because he was so solid, so mature, so confident that I was never afraid of a second yellow card coming. He was always in control of the game.”
Whilst Harry Winks may be the Spurs academy product who is currently establishing himself as a main-stay of this team – he had made 33 appearances this season before the postponement of football – perhaps Skipp is the man for the club to really embrace.
He is five years younger than Winks who is 24 now, and therefore his ceiling is that much higher. Indeed, the latter has come under some stinging criticism this season from Spurs fans, including against the likes of Wolves and RB Leipzig just this month.
So when football does make its return from its hiatus, it may very well be the perfect time for Mourinho and Spurs to place their trust in Skipp to be the new heartbeat of their side.
Meanwhile, Spurs swooping for Willian could spell bad news for Jack Clarke.