View: Tottenham U21s star Jamie Donley is late hero while Josh Keeley struggles
Tottenham Under-21s stars Jamie Donley, Will Lankshear and Josh Keeley have been making contrasting impacts on the international stage.
The Spurs trio have been central to the Under-21s’ incredible 2023/24 campaign thus far.
There has hardly been a goal scored that Lankshear and Donley haven’t had their hand in, while Keeley has started eight of the club’s 14 fixtures so far between the sticks.
As a result of these impressive displays, the three players have all been selected to represent their nations, although Keeley has struggled to translate his club form to the international stage.
The goalkeeper started the Republic of Ireland Under-21s’ UEFA European Qualifier on Friday 17 November, a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Norway’s Under-21s.
It ended up being a night to forget for the 20-year-old, who failed to make a single save on what proved to be a very disappointing evening overall for the Irish youngsters, who had led 2-1 at one point in the match. He played just five accurate long balls from the 13 he attempted and was awarded a 5.8 match rating, the lowest of any player on the pitch (Sofascore).
Meanwhile, less than 24 hours later, Keeley’s club teammates were on the right side of a 3-2 scoreline, as England Under-19s secured victory over Japan Under-19s, with Donley striking the winner late on.
Having started the match on the bench, the 18-year-old striker was introduced toward the end of the second half and came up with a close-range finish to restore the Young Lions’ lead after they had been pegged back from 2-0 up.
Fellow Spurs stars Lankshear, Alfie Dorrington, Ashley Phillips and Luca Gunter all featured for England during the match, with Lankshear grabbing his second in as many games to put his country two up, before later striking the post.
Despite the contrasting struggles and joys of the various players, the overall experience will be beneficial for all of those involved. Representing your country at such a young age off the back of some positive displays with your club can only be a boost of confidence, as the likes of Donley, Lankshear and Keeley all look to break into the first-team picture at Hotspur Way.
In other Tottenham news, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King believes one fringe player should not be sold this January despite a lack of game time.