As those at Tottenham Hotspur are aware more than most, not every prospect bursts onto the scene like a Lamine Yamal or a Jude Bellingham - sometimes a little patience or perseverance is required.
The golden example for those of a Lilywhites persuasion is that man Harry Kane, the now England skipper and record scorer having been forced to travail the EFL, before eventually securing his place in the club’s first-team plans.
Something of a late bloomer in modern terms - having made his first Premier League start in April 2014, three months shy of his 21st birthday - the free-scoring sensation has gone on to have a career that few could have envisaged amid his early struggles at the likes of Leicester City and Norwich City.
From his days at Leyton Orient, Kane is now a record-breaker for both club and country, recently reaching 100 Bayern Munich goals from just 104 games - the fastest player this century to achieve that feat in Europe’s top five leagues.
Schooled by Spurs, but arguably made and nurtured during his string of temporary moves away from the club, Kane is a glowing success story of the loan system.
Excitingly for Thomas Frank and co, the north Londoners could look to profit from their loan set-up again in the near future.
How Spurs’ loan stars are getting on this season
Among the hottest prospects to have departed N17 this summer was Croatian teenager, Luka Vuskovic, with the towering centre-back earning rave reviews already at Bundesliga side, Hamburg.
Still just 18, the 6 foot 4 defender is a mountain of a man, remarkably winning 73% of his total duels in the league so far this term, as well as a staggering 85% of his aerial duels.
For context, Micky van de Ven has averaged 53% and 47% for Spurs, respectively, in 2025/26, as per Sofascore.
The former Hajduk Split star - who scored seven league goals on loan at Belgian side Westerlo last term - is the main attraction as far as Spurs’ loanees go, although academy graduate Alfie Devine is currently flourishing for Preston North End, with three goals and assists from eight Championship outings.
Mikey Moore looks to have been swept up in the chaos of Russell Martin and Rangers, having failed to score in ten games at Ibrox, although fellow teenager winger Min-hyeok Yang has already netted twice in just four league games for Portsmouth in the second tier.
The Championship has also proven a fruitful destination for the next Kane, Will Lankshear, with the promising striker scoring three goals in nine league appearances for Oxford United, albeit while failing to convert in any of his last four.
High hopes remain for Jamie Donley, who registered 19 goals and assists for Orient last term, although his time at Stoke City is yet to truly take off, having been restricted to just three substitute appearances for the promotion-chasing side in the league.
Donley isn’t quite hitting the heights of last term, although one man who certainly is 20-year-old sensation, George Abbott.
The Spurs starlet who’s been “compared to Grealish”
Many may view those operating outside of the Championship as having little chance of making the leap to Premier League level, although that’s not necessarily the case.
Take Dele Alli example, with the then-youngster rising from EFL star at MK Dons to top-flight sensation at White Hart Lane in double-quick time, having ended his first campaign in the capital - 2015/16 - with 18 goals and assists to his name in the league, as per Transfermarkt.
Kane, too, stepped down into League One with Orient, before later exploding back at Spurs, with that the level where homegrown starlet, Abbott, is currently flourishing for Wycombe Wanderers.
The versatile midfielder - who has operated all across the park in the Tottenham youth ranks - joined the Chairboys this summer after starring at Notts County in the fourth tier last term, registering 13 goals and assists in all competitions for the League Two side.
That included what proved to be the division’s Goal of the Season away at Accrington Stanley, with the Englishman thumping home in emphatic style after meeting an inswinging corner flush on the volley.
At a club with a rich history for welcoming in potential stars of the future, including now Celtic skipper Callum McGregor, the Magpies allowed Abbott to sparkle, with ITV’s Dan Salisbury-Jones noting that the youngster had even been “compared to Jack Grealish”.
The new Everton talisman - another former loan hero at the Nottinghamshire club - previously came agonisingly close to joining Spurs back in 2018, although could the Lilywhites now have his heir apparent in the shape of Abbott?
His Grealish-like ability to glide forward with the ball at his feet has also led to comparisons to ex-Wycombe loanee, Eberechi Eze, with Abbott having scored his first goal for the Buckinghamshire side in true Eze fashion against Northampton.
That was followed by an assist as Michael Duff’s side saw off Wigan Athletic in the Carabao Cup third round, before he also starred off the bench away at AFC Wimbledon, as the visitors narrowly slipped to a 2-1 defeat.
Introduced at half-time, Abbott was a central figure as Wycombe, albeit unsuccessfully, fought their way back into the game, notably winning 100% of his ground duels, while providing one key pass from his 36 touches, as per Sofascore.
Fleet of foot but with the steel to match, the dynamic midfielder - who also played the full 90 in Saturday's narrow win over Wigan - looks to have all the tools at his disposal, with the hope being that he can force his way into Frank’s first-team plans later down the line.
At 20, the modern game might suggest his time has already come and gone to break into an elite team like Spurs, yet if he can look to the case of Kane for inspiration, Abbott could prove to be the north Londoners’ next shining loan success story.
With a new long-term contract signed back in north London ahead of the new campaign, he is certainly one for the future.