Why Luca Williams-Barnett will knock on Roberto De Zerbi's door at Tottenham after win vs MK Dons

Luca Williams-Barnet has done his first-team chances no harm with his latest performance for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lilywhites took on MK Dons in their first pre-season friendly of the summer on Wednesday, with Roberto De Zerbi's side running out 1-0 winners.

While it was a chance for both Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to get minutes into their legs, it also allowed the Italian to assess plenty of youth players.

And, truthfully, there quite a few that managed to stand out against MK Dons.

At Tottenham Hotspur News, we felt that Malachi Hardy was one of the better performers versus MK Dons, but Williams-Barnett certainly came close.

Now, it would not be a shock to see him get a much bigger role throughout pre-season, and potentially in the upcoming season; here's why.

What made Luca Williams-Barnett stand out for Tottenham?

At 17 years old, Williams-Barnett has plenty of time to develop as a football player, but one thing he does not lack is confidence.

The attacking midfielder seamlessly slotted into a first-team lineup against the Dons and did not look out of place.

At first-team level, he has only been handed three minutes, coming off the bench against Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup last season

But the Spurs under-18 and under-21s star will be eager to get more opportunities and his latest showcase should have him knocking on De Zerbi's door.

Sky Sports have described his performance against MK Dons as one with "tremendous confidence" and "fearlessness".

And it was that early maturity that made him one of the stand-outs.

While typically an attacking midfielder, Williams-Barnett was used deeper and it was a tactic that worked wonders for the 17-year-old.

Why Williams-Barnett does not have an easy path forward at Tottenham

Being a youth midfielder at Spurs is perhaps the most difficult position to be in at the moment.

Both Tonali and Fernandes have just joined the N17 outfit, while James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are still to come in and have more prominent roles this season.

Archie Gray and Conor Gallagher are also pushing for a place in the starting lineup.

So, for Williams-Barnett, he has found himself in one of the most competitive positions at Hotspur Way.

But based on his attitude and confidence against MK Dons, that will be a challenge that he relishes rather than fears heading into next season.

The future is bright for Williams-Barnett and hopefully that impact can be seen on a wider first-team scale this campaign.