View: Tottenham have a rough diamond in Jamie Donley as Under-21s shine
Ange Postecoglou has proven in the past that he has no qualms in blooding young talent and Jamie Donley once again will have given the Tottenham boss reason to sit up and take notice.
Donley and Nile John were the goalscorers as Tottenham Under-21s made it five wins from five in Premier League 2 with a 2-0 victory at Stoke City on Monday (25 September).
It is now seven wins from seven in all competitions for Spurs’ in-form youngsters with Donley at the heart of their hugely impressive form.
Donley was involved in the first goal after 16 minutes, with his shot from Jude Soonsup-Bell’s cut-back parried into the path of John to convert.
When Soonsup-Bell was felled by Stoke’s left wing-back Kahrel Reddin 20 minutes later, it was Donley who confidently stepped up to double the lead.
It means the 18-year-old has now been involved in a goal during each of his six appearances for the U21s this season, contributing four goals and seven assists.
Postecoglou has a reputation for blooding young talent, and was the man who gave Ben Doak – now at Liverpool – his senior debut at Celtic as a 16-year-old.
For Donley, it may be a case of remaining patient for now. The first team are in great form, having gone unbeaten through their opening six Premier League matches – the latest of which was the 2-2 draw at Arsenal in Sunday’s (24th September) North London derby.
Donley, though, can take some inspiration from that fixture with summer signing Alejo Veliz, who was named among the substitutes.
Veliz is a couple of years older but has no prior experience of senior English football. It is another example of Postecoglou not being afraid to put his faith in youth when he thinks the situation fits.
Donley’s path to the first team might not be so immediate and you get the impression a loan spell or two might be in his future before opportunities to mix it with the likes of Son Heung-min and James Maddison arrive.
But if he keeps making all the right noises, then eventually Postecoglou is bound to sit up and take notice. He is a rough diamond, and needs some polishing, but is certainly one to keep an eye on.
In other Tottenham news, one Spurs midfielder proved he was worthy of a place in the BBC Team of the Week after his performance against Arsenal.