Tottenham player ratings vs MK Dons - Mateus Fernandes debut studied as Malachi Hardy shines

Tottenham's pre-season has officially begun with a 1-0 win against MK Dons.

Roberto De Zerbi will be hoping to instill his ideas into this group of players, which features plenty of new faces.

Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali have been given their first chances in the Lilywhites strip.

Meanwhile, plenty of youth stars have been given minutes ahead of the 2026-2027 campaign.

The match against the EFL side is the only friendly taking place on English soil before Spurs' trip to New Zealand and Australia.

At Tottenham Hotspur News, we have been covering Tottenham's pre-season schedule and here is how the players got on at Hotspur Way.

Mateus Fernandes puts early price tag worries behind him

Fernandes arrived at Tottenham with a hefty price tag of £85million.

But, it did not take him long to prove why Spurs were so eager to fork out such a fee against MK Dons.

Just three minutes into his first appearance for Tottenham, the Portuguese midfielder netted a wonderful goal.

After a cleared corner dropped to him outside the box, he hit a first-time volley directly into the far corner.

But, other than his goal, there were clear indicators of what he had to offer.

Fernandes was tidy on the ball, attempting 76 passes in just one half. He completed 89 per cent of those as per Sofascore.

Additionally, he had just one unsuccessful touch among 81, showcasing his on-ball composure.

Defensively, there was little for him to do, but he did make four recoveries and complete one interception.

But, he did lose all three of his ground duels, which is something De Zerbi will want to him to work on.

Malachi Hardy emerges as early pre-season standout

Each pre-season supporters will be looking for the youngsters that are next up, and Malachi Hardy is the early standout.

The centre-back was both calm and composed at the back for the N17 outfit and did not look out of place in the second-half.

Hardy won 100 per cent of his two attempted tackles, while also winning three out of four of his duels.

He kept a 96 per cent passing accuracy as well, showing he may be ready for a step-up next season.

Tottenham player ratings vs MK Dons

Here are the ratings from Tottenham's win against MK Dons at Hotspur Way.

Antonin Kinsky - 6

Archie Gray - 6

Kota Takai - 7

Ben Davies - 7

Rio Kyerematen - 6

Sandro Tonali - 6

Mateus Fernandes - 7

Mathys Tel - 6

Conor Gallagher - 5

Manor Solomon - 6

Dominic Solanke - 5

Substitutes

Martin Dubravka - 7

Malachi Hardy - 8

Tye Hall - 6

Jamie Donley - 7

Harry Byrne - 6

Yang Min-hyeok - 5

Luca Williams-Barnett - 7

Dane Scarlett - 5

Mikey Moore - 7

Richarlison - 6