Why Roberto De Zerbi pressure has grown on Luca Williams-Barnet as England footage emerges

Luca Williams-Barnett is doing everything he can to grab Roberto De Zerbi's attention at Tottenham Hotspur.

The 17-year-old attacking midfielder is regarded as one of Tottenham's most promising young academy talents coming through right now.

Indeed, he's already made four first-team appearances for Spurs, but a Premier League debut still escapes him.

Time is of course on his and Tottenham's side in that regard, and Lilywhites coaches won't want to rush him in before he's ready.

Williams-Barnett is currently away on England duty with the Under-19s, as he continues to turn heads with the Three Lions as well.

And his latest exploits against Norway on Tuesday night will only see calls for a permanent first-team role grow even louder.

What did Luca Williams-Barnett do for England U-19s vs Norway?

Tuesday night saw England's Under-19s take on Norway's Under-19s in an international friendly.

Will Antwi's Three Lions side ran out 2-1 winners, after defending a two-goal lead at half-time in the second 45.

The second of those goals was scored by Lyon's Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez, but the first was netted by Williams-Barnett.

It wasn't just any goal either, as the Tottenham teen lashed a spectacular strike past the Norwegian goalkeeper from distance.

Picking the ball up on the left, he moved past one Norwegian player and then a second as he cut in towards the centre of the pitch on his right foot.

Then from 22 yards, he unleashed a thunderous effort into the top corner that was in the back of the net before the keeper barely realised what was happening.

So, for a Tottenham side that have only scored two Premier League goals this season, Williams-Barnett might just be exactly what they need.

Williams-Barnett isn't afraid to test the goalkeeper

Sometimes, it can be the injection of some fearless and confident young talent that provides the catalyst for improved performances and results.

Williams-Barnett is as exciting a talent as they come for Tottenham right now, and he's got traits that suggest he might be Spurs' goalscoring answer.

In his most recent game for Tottenham's Under-21s against Manchester City, he scored and provided an assist in a 4-2 win.

Per FotMob, no player on the pitch that day took more shots than Williams-Barnett's seven, whilst he also created two chances.

Going back to last season, his 32 shots on goal ranked him in the top 6.6 percentile of all attacking midfielders in Premier League 2 for 2025-26.

Meanwhile, his seven big chances created put him in the leading four per cent, with his six goals ranking him in the top 5.7 per cent as well.

He scored a whopping seven goals and chipped in with two assists from just six UEFA Youth League games last term too.

De Zerbi can keep persisting with underperforming senior players in the hope his attack clicks.

Or, he can take a chance on a player on a special talent like Williams-Barnett, who might just be ready to come of age in the first-team already.