View: Tottenham Under-18 midfielder Rio Kyerematen shines for both club and country
Rio Kyerematen has so far scored and provided an assist during the England Under-18s International Tournament of Lisbon campaign after his impressive season with Tottenham.
On Friday, Kyerematen came off the bench to score a late equaliser in England Under-18s 2-2 draw with Norway. This earned him a start in Sunday’s clash with Australia where he wasted little time making his presence known.
Inside the opening 15 minutes, Kyerematen set Zach Marsh up to fire England ahead in a game which would eventually end in a 3-2 win for the Young Lions, with the Tottenham midfielder featuring for the full 90.
The 18-year-old’s impressive performances in the national team are coming off the back of a wonderful season for his club, featuring as an integral part of the Tottenham Under-18s Premier League cup-winning team.
During the semi-final stage of the competition, the midfielder scored an 89th-minute winner against Sheffield United as Spurs ran out 1-0 winners to book their place in the final against Aston Villa, a match where Kyerematen would also steal the show.
After Villa had taken the lead early, the talented youngster equalised for his side before Jamie Donley put Tottenham ahead. Kyerematen then sealed the deal, grabbing his brace with an audacious outside-of-the-boot finish.
Kyerematen’s form was no less impressive during the Under-18s Premier League campaign. In 16 appearances the central midfielder scored four goals and provided seven assists while grabbing a goal in his one FA Youth Cup match.
Despite playing in a central midfield position and at times operating as a defensive midfielder, the London-born talent still finds ways to impact the game higher up the pitch, something which new manager Ange Postecoglou will appreciate.
Having already trained alongside the first-team, and with Postecoglou’s preference for midfield players who can impact play higher up the pitch, Kyerematen could be handed his first-team debut in 2023/24.