Peter Crouch and Joe Hart have both been singing the praises of one Tottenham Hotspur youngster who has been impressing them under Thomas Frank.
Tottenham Hotspur have had mixed fortunes under Thomas Frank so far, with results being pretty positive, although some of the performances have been questionable.
The North London club won 2-1 away at Leeds United, as Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus found themselves on the scoresheet in West Yorkshire.
Ahead of the game, Crouch and Hart raved about one Spurs star who they are both backing to be a ‘top’ player in the near future.
Peter Crouch backs Archie Gray to succeed at Tottenham
Peter Crouch is backing Archie Gray to be a huge success at Tottenham, having been so impressed by him last season.
Gray, who Clive Allen also rates, hasn’t played a great deal of football so far this season, but he has shown very promising glimpses when he has featured.
During the week, Frank compared him to Rodri and Declan Rice, to which Crouch told TNT Sports: “I think his attitude last year was first class, there were some difficult moments – the young lads really stepped up to the plate, I thought Bergvall was similar.
“As good as Rodri? That’s a big call, that’s a Ballon d’Or winner, but he’s got all the attributes to be a very successful player in this division.
“It’s nice to see him in those kinds of situations, too much last year he was playing as a centre half for the majority of games and he coped with it really well.
“Especially with all the injuries around him, he stayed fit, he stayed focused, he didn’t let his head drop, he continued to want the ball, and I think now we’ll see the progression of him moving further forward and becoming the player we all know he can be.”
Last month, TBR Football revealed that Gray wanted to stay at Tottenham and fight for his place despite having only played 89 minutes at that stage.
The 18-year-old will be hoping for more game time soon, though, having been used as just a squad player for now.
Joe Hart on Archie Gray being ‘key’ for Tottenham
Meanwhile, Joe Hart believes that Gray is already a ‘key’ for Tottenham and applauded Frank for putting his trust in the youngster so far.
The Danish head coach brought him on against Bodo and the midfielder rewarded him by helping force the equaliser in Norway.
“Last season was a difficult season for Tottenham, he was in some really tough moments and playing out of position and Ange Postecoglou really relied on him, as did his teammates and he really stepped up,” Hart told TNT Sports.
“He looks like a top player, he seems like a lovely kid who just wants to keep getting better, and he’s got great genes and family name to follow in and I’m sure he’s going to have a really top career.
When asked about Frank comparing him to Rodri, the former Spurs keeper said: “Yeah, he’s part of the squad, and for Thomas Frank to be saying stuff like that, he wouldn’t say it lightly.
“He will have seen in Bodo, the Arctic Circle, this week that he had a big say in nicking a point, and that’s what you’ve got to do, you’ve got to rely on your bench.”