Tottenham sent clear Mikey Moore message as Harry Redknapp responds to pre-season noise

Tottenham sent clear Mikey Moore message as Harry Redknapp responds to pre-season noise

EXCLUSIVE: With 16-year-old Mikey Moore impressing over the course of Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season, Harry Redknapp has sent a message to Ange Postecoglou
Harry Redknapp has told Ange Postecoglou to not let Mikey Moore’s age put him off from deploying him in the first-team.

The 16-year-old was one of Tottenham Hotspur’s standout players over the course of the pre-season. Moore, who only recently sat his GCSE exams, scored against Hearts and found the winning goal in Spurs’ 3-2 victory over Vissel Kobe.
His displays with the first team proceeded his electric performances for England in the UEFA Under-17 European Championships. While the potential is there for everyone to see, deploying Moore in the Premier League would still be considered a bold move.
Postecoglou praised the teenager during Spurs’ tour of South Korea, but made it clear there is still a lot of room for growth. An ex-academy coach at the club has also compared Moore to Adel Taarabt, who was deemed to be one of the most talented players to emerge from the club.
But while many fans may feel apprehensive about the prospect of using such a young player in the Premier League, Redknapp is a lot more positive. He believes if the youngster continues to stand out for the North Londoners, Postecoglou has to show faith in him.
In an exclusive interview with football.london, Redknapp, who was in Portsmouth to visit Kellogg’s Football Camps – a UK-wide summer football programme for local kids – said: “If he’s good enough, stick him in.

“The kid who played for Spain in the European Championship final (Lamine Yamal) was only 16. We’ve had Wayne Rooney and Joe Cole, they all came in the team around that age. If he’s as good as everyone thinks he is, hopefully we will see him in the first team this year.”
Moore does already have some experience with the first-team. Last year, he became the youngest-ever player to represent the Lilywhites in Premier League history, when he appeared against Manchester City.

Postecoglou admitted he has been impressed with the youngster this summer. His task now is ensuring the Spurs’ environment can bring the best out of him.

During a press conference, he said: “In coaching terms and working with young players, the most important thing is the environment you set up for them and what they came into.
That means the moment they come into the dressing room, the kind of dressing room you have with the senior players and the way we train and the way we talk.

“We try to teach them as much about life as we do about football because obviously for a lot of them and you mention Mikey Moore, he’s only 16. He’s got so much growth as a footballer but also as a person.

“We try to provide the environment which allows him to be the best that he can be and then it’s up to the player. Once you provide that environment it’s up to the player to keep driving on and not be satisfied.”