Alejo Veliz makes his Tottenham debut during emphatic U21s EFL Trophy win
Alejo Veliz made his full Tottenham Under-21s debut on Tuesday (19 September) after arriving at the club during the summer, coming on as a second-half substitute during the 5-0 victory away at Colchester United in the EFL Trophy.
As far as 20th birthdays go, this was likely a very positive one for Spurs’ summer recruit. The young Argentinian striker arrived in North London from Rosario Central on 8 August but was yet to make an appearance for his new club.
This was due to an injury that had kept him out of action since his arrival, although it now appears that he is ready to make himself available for Ange Postecoglou and Wayne Burnett.
Bright spark
He came onto the pitch with the visitors 4-0 up and the match therefore already won, and looked bright in moments during his 28 minutes on the pitch, showing signs of clever movement and having opportunities to score, although his finishing was slightly rusty.
Having only joined first-team training last Thursday, it was an impressive debut for a player making his first appearance in English football at such a young age. His movement was key in Jude Soonsup-Bell’s second and Spurs’ fifth goal, and although he saw some one-on-ones saved, this is certainly an area in which he will improve as he gets more minutes into his legs.
Veliz is a big, physical unit who looks to have the physique to play in England, and it will be interesting to see how he develops, and how Postecgolou chooses to integrate him into the first-team squad this season, if at all.
After full-time he was put through his paces with various sprinting and weight drills as he continues to work on his fitness after his return from injury. This is the type of hard work and dedication Postecoglou will want to see, and having scored 11 times in 23 Argentinian top-flight matches last season, Veliz looks as if he could really help the team as the season goes on.
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