Tottenham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga has admitted he was nervous for about three seconds during his debut for the club in the win over Crystal Palace.
The 25-year-old shot stopper was drafted into the starting XI at the last minute for Spurs and helped his side win 1-0 at home to Palace in the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were without senior goalkeepers Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm, which gave summer signing Gazzaniga the opportunity to make his Spurs debut.
Heung-Min Son scored the winner after 64 minutes at Wembley with a well-placed finish and it means the North London club after third in the league table going into the international break.
However, bottom of the table Palace were a serious threat for large parts and goalkeeper Gazzaniga was called into action on several occasions.
The Argentinian goalkeeper made a great save from a Scott Dann header, plus reaction stops to efforts from Andros Townsend and Luka Milivojevic to give the hosts three points.
Gazzaniga has confessed he was nervous at the beginning of his Spurs debut, but received much encouragement from his team-mates.
“I knew last night that Michel was not too well so I started preparing then,” Gazzaniga said, as quoted by BBC Sport’s matchday commentary.
“I was nervous for about three seconds and then the players gave me lots of support.
“I’ll take it step-by-step in trying to become number one for Spurs.”
Gazzaniga has had to be patient since his summer arrival from Southampton and impressed when given the chance at the weekend.
The goalkeeper showed his shot stopping ability and also looked comfortable in possession.
He will now hope for more first-team opportunities and to cause a selection dilemma for Pochettino.
OPINION
Gazzaniga made an excellent debut for Spurs and proved that there is serious strength in the squad this season. He made a couple of very smart saves, but in truth he would have expected to make them. A clean sheet will be a big confidence for the shot stopper and it will be a relief for Pochettino to know he can rely on his third-choice goalkeeper. However, Gazzaniga is still unlikely to force his way into contention, but at 25 is much younger than his rivals for the number one jersey.