Richarlison injury could open the door for Tottenham Under-21 ace

Tottenham Under-21 striker Will Lankshear might finally get his opportunity to impress Ange Postecoglou.

As has often been the case this season, Postecoglou once again found himself discussing players unavailable for selection ahead of another crunch Premier League clash.

Spurs will welcome Crystal Palace to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 2 March and will need to secure a big three points if they want to keep themselves alive in the race for UEFA Champions League football.

However, in his pre-match press conference, it was issues off the pitch which dominated the conversation.

As per Football London (1 March), Postecoglou confirmed that yet another player was set to spend some time on the treatment table at Hotspur Way.

"Richarlison is out for three to four weeks. He picked up a bit of a knee injury in the last game," he said.

"With Richy, it's disappointing, he's been a key contributor, how our season has gone, get one back and lose one."

However, as the door closes on the next month for Richarlison, it might have just crept open for Under-21 ace Lankshear.

Could Will Lankshear feature against Crystal Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

Exactly one week after making Tottenham Hotspur Stadium history by netting the fastest ever hattrick scored on the ground in a 6-0 win against Fleetwood Town (24 February), Postecoglou should hand Lankshear the opportunity to play there once again.

With Richarlison unavailable, Son Heung-min will likely play through the middle meaning a starting spot for Lankshear is perhaps a bit far-fetched at this point.

However, Richarlison's absence means that a spot has opened up on the bench, and that opportunity should be handed to the 18-year-old.

Despite Lankshear's incredible form for the Under-21s this season, he is yet to be handed a place in any of Postecoglou's matchday squad, while he has watched the likes of Jamie Donley, and Alfie Dorrington travel with the first-team.

Liverpool proved in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea that giving youngsters a chance when the stakes are high isn't always a bad idea, and Postecoglou should draw inspiration from that and throw Lankshear in at the deep end against Palace.

In other Tottenham news, a Spurs expert has reacted to a "huge" injury boost for Crystal Palace.

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