THERE has been a lot of buzz around Mikey Moore for some time – and his full debut against Ferencvaros on Thursday showed why.
Having only turned 17 in August, the South Londoner is viewed by many at Tottenham as the most exciting prospect to come through their academy since Harry Kane.
Watching him tear around the Groupama Arena – where he played the full 90-plus minutes – backed up the hype.
HOW DO THEY PLAY AND WHO DO THEY REMIND YOU OF?
Moore can play across the front line from left wing, right wing, No10 and even No9.
He started wide right in Budapest and caused the Hungarian side’s left-back all manner of problems with his mazy dribbles – before switching to the left in the second half.
He reminds you of Jack Grealish, mainly because of his short-socked look, but also because of his excellent control of the ball when running forward.
Moore does not quite have Grealish’s physicality yet but to be fair, for one so young, he still has robustness and power that belies his tender years.
As impressed team-mate James Maddison put it on Wednesday: “When he first came up (to the seniors) I had to remind myself how young he actually is.
“He was 16 and more of like a man already.
“When I watch him play, he’s very powerful, and he’s only going to get stronger as he develops into his body.”
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He is yet to score his first senior goal for Spurs but when he does, do not be surprised to see him nick Son Heung-min’s ‘taking a photograph’ celebration as that is what he has done at youth level.
Spurs captain Son is a huge fan of the whizkid, who he has praised for his inquisitive nature and has tipped to be a “top player”.
The South Korean icon said last month: “Mikey is coming to me most of the time and asking questions, which is very fun. I enjoy talking to him.
“He’s a fantastic boy and I’m definitely sure that he can be a fantastic player. There’s no doubt because he has such amazing quality.”
TELL US ABOUT THEIR RISE
Moore first joined Tottenham at eight and instantly stood out because of his technical ability, his dribbling and ball-striking skills, his determination and enthusiasm.
People at the club quickly took notice of his potential and he was involved in England’s youth set-up from Under-15 level.
That physique Maddison referenced may well have been finessed thanks to another sport popular with many footballers such as Wayne Rooney.
As Moore’s former youth coach Sam Cox revealed to SunSport: “He did a bit of boxing in his younger ages which probably helped his game.”
Moore also impressed with his professional approach to his game from an early age, and has been supported by what Cox refers to as a “fantastic” family of his mum, dad and brothers.
He helped Spurs to win the Premier League 2 title last season, often linking up with PL2 player of the year Will Lankshear, who also made his bow against Ferencvaros.
The pair are close and it speaks to how young they are that they are that they still get changed in the academy section of the training ground as they are viewed as Under-21 players.
His maturity when dealing with the few media duties he has had so far has been noted by his coaches.
Moore expressed how he felt like he had not achieved anything yet when signing his first professional contract earlier this summer, underlining his level-headed attitude.
WHAT ARE THE EXPERTS SAYING?
Cox, a former Tottenham academy product himself, worked in Spurs’ academy for a decade and has seen a lot of talent in that time.
He first started working with Moore at Under-11 level, describing the youngster as “standing out from the pack”.
Cox, who recently managed non-league Oxford City, believes the same reports that were being written about Moore then would bear a resemblance to the ones now: ie two-footed, being respectful and hungry to succeed.
You would hold Mikey up there with the best I’ve seen since 2005.
Sam Cox
The 33-year-old added: “I’ve worked with a lot of young players over my years of Spurs and the ten years I was working in the academy and then previous to that my six years playing there, there’s been some super talent that’s come through.
“You would hold Mikey up there with the best I’ve seen since 2005.
“Marcus Edwards was a phenomenal talent. Back in my day there was a young player called Terry Dixon, who was a phenomenal talent, and then obviously Harry Kane. I would quite confidently say Mikey is in and amongst that company.
“There are probably two moments for me that stand out with Mikey, having worked with him across the age groups up to Under-16s.
“One was Under-11s, we were playing a tournament over at Charlton and there was one incident where he dribbled past a couple of players and was near the halfway line and dinked the goalkeeper.
“He’s always the youngest of the age group too which is always difficult because players are often physically better.
“But Mikey had no fear and that tournament he went past a couple of players and lobbed the goalkeeper from the halfway line, I thought, ‘Wow, he’s a ten-year-old doing this. Unbelievable to have that kind of football IQ’.
“The other moment was Under-14s. I used to join in training sometimes in games and in practice and I was marking Mikey. He was 14 and I was about 27.
“He got the ball, he dropped the shoulder, jinked, ended up going past me and sticking it in the top bins and I thought, blimey he’s doing this at 14 to me and I’m supposed to be in the peak of my career.
“Those little moments make you think this boy has got something.”
WHAT DOES THE NEXT 12 MONTHS HOLD?
Spurs fans were already serenading Moore with chants of “he’s one of our own” – just as they used to with Kane – before he made his full debut.
So they were fully aware of his exciting potential.
The question then was how quickly would Ange Postecoglou throw him in and the answer, at least in the Europa League, was pretty darn fast.
Now the question has become is Moore ready to start a Premier League game at such a tender age.
There is a chance it could happen this Sunday at Brighton, given captain Son is “unlikely” to be involved, though it is more probable Timo Werner gets the nod.
But a first Prem start does not feel long away and there is an opportunity for him to stake a first-team claim over the next year under Postecoglou, who is unafraid of giving kids a shot.
Moore heaped praise on his boss after his full debut in Budapest, commenting: “He is giving me little tips all the time, really.
“To be fair him putting me in the team, you get the trust straight away so I am thankful for him starting me and putting his trust in me.”
Spurs have done well not to block Moore’s development path and, in a similar manner to how Manchester City handled a young Phil Foden, you could see him slowly but surely becoming a key figure over the coming years.
