Tottenham Hotspur youngsters were given a chance to impress Thomas Frank ahead of this weekend’s game against West Ham United.
Thomas Frank headed into the international break on a low note, as he suffered his first Premier League defeat as Tottenham Hotspur boss.
Spurs were beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth last time out, and barely even caused problems for the Cherries.
Frank could unleash new Tottenham signing Xavi Simons against West Ham United this weekend, while deadline day signing Randal Kolo Muani will be in contention.
Ex-Manchester City talent Dan Batty in Tottenham Hotspur training
The international break is finally coming to an end, but the last two weeks have given Frank the chance to watch some young Spurs talents in action.
It’s common practice for youngsters to step up into first-team training while senior players are away on international duty.
Frank may have been impressed with some of those youngsters, as Football London note that Dan Batty was involved in first-team training on Thursday.
Batty was spotted on a video of Xavi Simons’ first day in Tottenham training, first greeting the Dutchman before walking out to training ahead of Simons, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin.
Tottenham raided Manchester City to sign Batty earlier this year, bringing the 18-year-old midfielder to North London after spotting his potential.
A diminutive midfield player, Batty bagged three goals and four assists in 20 games for City’s Under-18s last season.
Tottenham swooped in to sign Batty, luring the Stalybridge-born talent away from the North West.
The decision to quit City will not have been an easy one for Batty, but a pathway to first-team action at the Etihad Stadium is a tricky one.
Batty has now trained with Tottenham’s senior players, and while a place in the squad against West Ham is unlikely, he has at least been given a chance to impress Frank and stake a claim for future chances.
Dan Batty joined by other Tottenham Hotspur talents
Batty was not the only youngster in first-team training on Thursday, even with senior players returning.
Defender Dante Cassanova was also involved, with the 21-year-old making the step up.
Cassanova has been a regular for Tottenham at developmental levels and has operated as a left-back this season, despite playing as a centre-back last term.
Winger Yusuf Akhamrich joined Batty and Casanova, having enjoyed a brilliant start to the season.
The 20-year-old Moroccan has bagged three goals and one assist in four games across Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy this season.
All three will hope to have left a lasting impact on Frank, and they will look for more opportunities around the Spurs first team this season.