Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen has been left raving over the talents of young midfielder Oliver Skipp after working with the teenager on the club’s pre-season tour.
The Danish international has returned to training after starring at the World Cup with his country, and has been joined in the USA by a handful of young talents, with Mauricio Pochettino including them on the tour thanks to a number of absentees.
While he was impressed by all the starlets on show, it was 17-year-old Skipp who caught Eriksen’s eye, with the attacking midfielder believing that the young revelation has everything it takes to be a success in the centre of the park.
Speaking to Football.London, he said: “I think the guy who’s the youngest is probably Skippy (Oliver Skipp), who’s really taken the game in his hands and is trying to do his thing. He’s been very good.
“(What impressed your about Skipp?) First of all his courage. He is not scared to get the ball, he is not scared to go forward and he is not scared to tackle.
“He’s an all-round midfielder. And I think with a lot of training, as he gets older, he will be there.”
Opinion
Incredibly high praise for the young midfielder there from a man who has dazzled for both club and country over the past couple of years. Getting this experience and working with the senior stars is exactly why the likes of Skipp have been included on the pre-season tour of the United States, and Pochettino will be hoping that they can take what they have learned and put it into practice for the rest of their careers. Could this be the start of a flourishing career for the 17-year-old? It is too early to say, but it certainly seems as though Eriksen is tipping him for some serious success over the next couple of years. With the likes of the Danish star, Dele Alli and Eric Dier in the first team squad, he can pick up a range of skills and techniques from being around the senior team, and as predicted, could go on to be a midfielder with all the talents a manager could look for in one player.