Tottenham ‘stagnating the development’ of Under-21 duo Jamie Donley and Alfie Dorrington – Expert
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome John Wenham of Lilywhite Rose as our exclusive columnist. Each week, he’ll be giving his expert insight on the biggest talking points at Spurs…
John Wenham is concerned that Ange Postecoglou’s recent decisions are “stagnating the development” of Tottenham Under-21 star duo Jamie Donley and Alfie Dorrington.
Donley and Dorrington have been on fire for Spurs’ Under-21s this season and have helped propel their side to the top of Premier League Two where they have a seven-point lead.
Both players have been rewarded with places on the first-team bench in the Premier League, although neither player has been able to make it off the bench for their full debut yet.
As a result, Wenham is concerned that a lack of game time could be a hindrance to the development of the pair and hopes that they are not omitted from this week’s Premier League Two fixture against Manchester United Under-21s on Saturday 2 December.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, Wenham said: “For me, you have to play Donley and Dorrington against Manchester United on Saturday.
“I don’t want to see them not playing in that game and then going to Manchester City with the first team to just sit on the bench.
“That isn’t good for the development of these players.
“Donley has been on the bench three times now, Dorrington twice, and neither of them have come onto the pitch.
“I don’t want to see us just stagnating the development of these young players by not giving them game time.
“They both need to be playing football and need to keep developing.
“If they do play against United, I expect us to win that game. The game has been moved to Hotspur Way so there are no excuses, Spurs need to get the job done.
“Perhaps the game has been moved to Hotspur Way so that it is easier for Donley and Dorrington to play that game and then jump straight on the coach to the airport with the first-team players for the trip to Manchester City, that seems logical to me, but we will have to wait and see.”
In other Tottenham news, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King believes the Manchester City clash will be a “big test” for one first-team star.