Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou can no longer ignore Dane Scarlett after what he did today
Ange Postecoglou has been left with little choice but to hand Dane Scarlett a bigger role at Tottenham after the striker’s form for England’s Under-20s.
Scarlett has hardly had a look in at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the past couple of months.
After returning from a season-long loan with Championship high-flyers Ipswich Town due to a lack of playing time, the 20-year-old has been limited to sporadic appearances off the bench in the Premier League.
Spurs have a very light schedule, with 10 league fixtures all that is left on their calendar between now and May, which leaves Scarlett with very limited opportunities to make an impact.
It is therefore understandable why Postecoglou has struggled to fit the striker into his plans, but after Scarlett’s performances for England’s Under-20s over the international break, it is clear that the Australian needs to get him on the pitch more often.
Spurs failed to score for the first time in the Premier League this season as they were beaten 3-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage last time out (16 March), which suggests it might be time for Postecoglou to shake things up.
And if the 58-year-old is going to make a change, he should look no further than Scarlett.
Tottenham striker Dane Scarlett can’t stop scoring for England Under-20s
After his 24-minute hattrick in the Young Lions’ 5-1 thrashing of Poland’s Under-20s on Friday (22 March), Scarlett was dropped to the bench for England’s Under-20 Elite League clash on Tuesday (26 March).
Nonetheless, he still had the final say as he came off the bench and scored twice to fire his side to a 3-1 victory over the Czech Republic’s Under-20s.
Scarlett was introduced in the 54th minute with the score tied at 1-1 and needed just 22 minutes to make his mark, firing England ahead in the 76th minute.
And he rounded off his fine cameo appearance by securing his brace in stoppage time, making it five goals in his last two games.
Postecoglou could use some of that firepower after the lacklustre display against Fulham, and Spurs’ manager should consider handing Scarlett more minutes on the pitch over the coming weeks.
In other Tottenham news, a pundit has revealed what the dressing room feelings will be ahead of Spurs’ clash with Luton Town on Saturday (30 March).
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