Matthew Chadder

Mon 30 October 2023 7:00, UK

While the likes of Will Lankshear and Jamie Donley have shone for Tottenham Under-21s this season, it was George Abbott who stepped up during a 4-2 win against Sunderland Under-21s on Friday 27 October.

On the same night that the men’s first team extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points with a 2-1 win away at Crystal Palace, one young Spurs star was making a name for himself in the northeast of England.

Spurs’ Premier League 2 victory away at Sunderland made it ten wins from ten for the youngsters so far this season and saw them extend their lead at the top of the Premier League Two table.

Donley and Lankshear have so often been the players to thank for Spurs’ dominant position this year, although on this occasion, despite them both playing and Lankshear grabbing a goal, it was Abbott’s brace which inspired the victory.

This showcased the squad’s strength in depth and how they are more than just a few quality players, but rather, they are a quality team from back to front.

Abbott, who is still just 18 years old, first started to appear for the club’s Under-21s last season and has only found his way back into the squad over the course of the past few games. The win against Sunderland was just his first start of the season, however, after his performance and contributions, he will certainly be expecting a lot more starts in the near future.

It was Jude Soonsup-Bell who handed Spurs the lead inside the seventh minute before his strike was cancelled out by Sunderland’s Michael Spellman minutes before the break.

Nonetheless, Spurs still managed to go into the break with the lead, as Abbott grabbed his first of the night and first goal at Under-21 level. After the ball bounced around in the penalty area, it fell kindly for the midfielder, who lashed a strike into the bottom corner through a crowd of players from around 14 yards out.

Once again he showed great alertness in the 69th minute when he sealed his brace, and put the game all but out of Sunderland’s reach, stabbing a loose ball home from six yards out.

The familiar duo of Donley and Lankshear linked up late on as the latter converted the former’s cross to put Spurs 4-1 ahead and seal the win, although the hosts did threaten a late comeback when Nectar Triantis reduced the deficit with four minutes to go, by that point it was too little too late for the Black Cats.

Next time Ange Postecoglou is checking in on the progress of the Tottenham Under-21s it seems he will have another name to add to his ever-growing list of ones to watch.

In other Tottenham news, the club’s Under-18s also got a big win over the weekend against London rivals Chelsea.