Tottenham have been sent a warning over precocious youngster Mikey Moore, who is already drawing comparisons with another former top Spurs talent in Adel Taarabt.
Teenage winger Moore has been lighting up pre-season for the north London club, scoring in the romp against Hearts and the 3-2 victory over Japanese side Vissel Kobe.
Moore made history as Tottenham‘s youngest Premier League player with his appearance against Manchester City last term and is expected to given more opportunities by Ange Posteccoglou for the upcoming campaign.
Despite being spoken of a one of the most promising talents to emerge from the club’s youth ranks in recent times, Tottenham remain mindful of the parallels drawn by a former academy coach to Taarabt, whose career was marred by disciplinary issues despite an abundance of ability.
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In an interview with The Athletic, the un-named former youth coach praised Moore’s exceptional ball skills, likening them to those of the former Tottenham and Morocco playmaker, who now plays in Dubai with Al-Nasr.
The coach said: “He is a special talent. He has great technique. It’s hard (to compare him). He’s like a throwback player. In terms of his skill and ability, he is a bit like Adel Taarabt.”
Taarabt’s tale is a cautionary one, given that he only made 15 appearances for the club before being offload despite his clear and obvious qualities.
The now 35-year-old is now viewed as a player of incredible ability who never fulfilled his talent and fears remain that Moore’s career could go the same way if he is not looked after and advised properly.
Former Tottenham midfielder Simon Davies, who is now head of club’s academy, echoed this sentiment in May while discussing Moore. “It’s encouraging that the manager sees something in Mikey but it is just potential at the moment.
“He’s a 16-year-old boy. He’s not 17 until August, so he’s a young boy with high potential. We have several of them in the academy.
“It’s exciting for the academy to have a player so young on the bench. But we have to stay calm and consistent. Because at the moment, it is just [potential]. I spoke to him this morning while he was having his breakfast about staying calm and consistent and keep working hard every day, do the small things right [because] the small things get noticed.
“He’s super mature for a young boy so let’s hope his potential is fulfilled but unfortunately we haven’t got a crystal ball. So we just have to do all the things right every day and stay consistent and calm.”
Son and Davies tipped to mentor Moore
One of the main things Tottenham can do to ensure Moore’s development goes as planned is to use senior players as role models, with skipper Son Heung-min and veteran defender Ben Davies earmarked for those roles.
Indeed, Postecoglou has identified Son Heung-min as a pivotal figure in the dressing room, raving about the South Korean’s his attitude and drive.
“You’ve just heard Sonny at 32 years old, and he’s done just about everything in the game but they still think they can improve,” the Australian said. “You have to have that mindset, whether you’re 16 or 32, or god forbid you’re 58 like me, you can always improve.
“If you have that mindset, particularly in football, but in elite sport, it doesn’t always guarantee you’ll be successful but it guarantees you’ll get the maximum out of your career.”
He also praised the mix of youth and experience within the squad: “The beauty for me is we have a lot of young players, but alongside Sonny, players like Ben Davies and other experienced players who set the right example every day. That’s important.”