Skipp jumps at opportunity
THE details of the game will not live long in the memory. Spurs struck late to beat stubborn opponents in scrappy fashion and horrible conditions. Little else mattered, and yet every second of it would have been cherished by Oliver Skipp.
Skipp, 18, one of 13 academy graduates to be handed a debut in the Mauricio Pochettino era, was making his first Premier League start, deep in Tottenham’s midfield.
Skipp won tackles, moved the ball around quickly and safely and held his position with intelligence. Team-mates trusted him in possession and as the game unfolded, his confidence grew and as half-time approached he was threading a well-disguised pass into the path of Dele Alli in the congested fringes of Burnley’s penalty area.
There was enough promise on display for Spurs fans to think they have produced another home-grown player who can be nurtured at a time when Tottenham are unable to invest heavily in recruitment. Last week, in Barcelona, full-back Kyle Walker-Peters made his first Champions League start.
On the bench against Burnley was Timothy Eyoma, also 18, in central defence.
Skipp, an England Under-18 international, made his Spurs debut as a late substitute in the Carabao Cup at West Ham and he made another brief appearance against Southampton in the Premier League.
This was altogether different, with 75 minutes in the midst of the Premier League. He did not look out of his depth.
His manager said: ‘Fantastic, he played like a 30-year-old man. So relaxed, trying to play forward and give the team what the team needs, plenty of energy. I am so proud of him.
‘I want to congratulate the people in the academy that work in education to build his career.’