Tottenham Hotspur fans were given a glimpse of the present and future with four players on display as England U21s beat their Italian counterparts on Thursday evening.
The friendly match in Pescara provided a lightning-fast start from England as Sheffield United striker Rhian Brewster netted twice within the first five minutes and the 2-0 scoreline remained the same at its end. However, that does not tell the whole story as Spurs had four talented young players on display at one point, all trying to gain something from the encounter on a personal level as well as a team one.
England U21s boss Lee Carsley named Djed Spence, Oliver Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon - all 22-years-old - in his starting line-up for the game with the trio all at different points in their match sharpness.
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For Sessegnon, he is currently in the best shape he has been in years as he came to football's attention at just 16. He has played in six of Spurs' nine matches this season, carrying on from a streak of matches at the end of the last season. The young wide man was withdrawn from the last England U21 squad in May in order for him to rest his troublesome hamstrings and then work during the summer on a regime with his personal trainer to strengthen the muscle group and those around them to help prevent further problems.
Thus far it seems to have done the job, with Sessegnon making a big impression on Spurs boss Antonio Conte and he has benefited from the perfect mentor in new arrival Ivan Perisic, one of the best left wing-backs in the game. Conte rarely counts on young players as regular starters but in Sessegnon and also Skipp he has identified both as 'important players' ready for his idea of football now.
"About Sess, we are talking about now a young player but a reliable player who I can count on for games in the Premier League or Champions League, for every game," the head coach said this month. "You know very well I try in every game to make the right decision but in that role I am OK because I have Perisic and Sessegnon, two important players.
"He improved a lot and I remember very well since I arrived Sessegnon was another player. Now he is a reliable player and he has great confidence. He is strong physically and improved in his quality and technically. We are talking about a really good player, a young player that can become stronger but this is the difference between the other young players. We are talking about a player who played many games and is reliable for every game, not only for tomorrow or FA Cup, for every game he is ready."
Sessegnon said of Conte in response: "He gives me confidence. The way he wants me to play, it suits me very well and he’s changed the mentality inside of me. It all started from a physical point of view, in terms of feeling good in my body and then giving me the platform to go out and prove to him that I can play at this level.
"I knew coming into a new season it was going to be the first time the gaffer could really set out his team I knew I had to go away and get my body right, and I knew it was going to be a gruelling pre-season when we went to South Korea and my body got through that thankfully and it’s been a good start to the season. Double sessions every day with my fitness guy, we start around 7:30 for the first sessions and around 3:30 for the second sessions so it’s long days, not much rest but it’s paid off so far so I’m happy with that."
During Thursday's match against Italy, Sessegnon looked every inch the senior player he now is in the U21s squad and was disciplined with his raids up and down the left wing. Along with Skipp and Spence, he played 71 minutes and looked sharp throughout.
For Skipp, the game brought his first minutes since pre-season before a gruesome freak training ground injury at Hotspur Way left him with a deep cut and a hairline fracture in his heel. A pelvic injury last season means the highly-rated central midfielder has not played a competitive game since late January, having carried that injury since last October.
Minor surgery eventually fixed the problem and now injury-free, Skipp is looking to make up for lost time, having been an unused substitute in Spurs' past five matches as he improves his fitness. That looks to be getting there because he was one of the best players on the pitch in the match against Italy, dominating much of the midfield play and covering plenty of ground in his first game since July.
The midfielder's fitness is clearly high, demonstrated on numerous occasions as he swept across the pitch to make important blocks or tackles. Skipp is a Conte player through and through and the Italian dished out plenty of praise for him last season as he quickly adapted to his philosophy.
This month he told people to watch out for the returning midfielder despite Spurs' other high profile names in the middle of the park.
"Don't forget Skippy, who is really young. We're talking about a prospect but for me he's always been reliable and for this reason I count on him," said Conte. "It has to be very clear because for me Skippy is an important player as a midfielder, also gives me the opportunity to make rotation. For sure in the next 12 games, he can have a better physical condition and I can count on him also, [Yves] Bissouma, Matthew [Doherty]."
Conte wanted Skipp to get game time with the England U21s and those 71 minutes will have given the player not only sharpness but confidence back into his legs after those two unfortunate injuries.
For Spence, Thursday's match presented something very different. Sessegnon and Skipp are both trusted Conte players despite being the same age. The new man from Middlesbrough, despite an impressive promotion-winning loan at Nottingham Forest, is not in Conte's circle of trust yet.
Conte admitted to football.london out in Korea: "Spence is an investment of the club. The club wanted to do it. I said okay, this player is young but he showed he can become a good, important player for us. The club decided to buy him."
That Spence has only had a handful of minutes from the bench against Forest and has sometimes missed out on matchday squads entirely due to the number of right wing-back options shows that Conte continues to believe he is a work in progress and he has said as much.
"I was very clear at the start when I said this signing is a really good prospect, he’s a young player. This signing, the club wanted to invest in this player," said the Spurs boss ahead of that match against Forest. "The difference is clear. To play in the Championship with Nottingham Forest and then with Tottenham, he needs time to adapt himself in many aspects, in the physical aspect and the tactical aspect because now he is working with another coach.
"I’m seeing a lot of desire, a lot of will, from this player to try to reduce this gap and to be ready. With a young player, it’s important to have patience, to work and then to improve. I’m sure Djed for the future will be an important player for Tottenham."
He added the following week: "When you sign a young player you know you have to wait, to work with him to try to improve. He is a good prospect, he is a perfect prospect for Tottenham but then if we talk about trying to be competitive to win, for sure we need other signings. This has to be very clear because otherwise we make confusion and I want to be very clear under this aspect. For sure, he will be a good player for the future for Tottenham."
Spence is lacking in top flight experience, other than his impressive displays against Premier League sides in the FA Cup last season, but the interesting thing about his signing is that Tottenham's scouting department identified him as a perfect Conte wing-back and managing director of football Fabio Paratici went to watch him in person on a number of occasions to confirm that.
The feeling within Spurs is that he is a player who likely would not have been signed for previous managers but was selected for Conte because it is believed he can become a star under the former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss with his specific wing-back strengths. Potentially he could offer the best mix of attacking ability and defensive solidity that Conte has among his ranks in that right wing-back area.
For Spence, the challenge is to sparkle with any chance he is given to convince Conte that he is ready for the now rather than just the future. Skipp and Sessegnon have plenty of experience under their belt but mostly it's their tactical intelligence that has impressed Conte and helped them adapt quickly to his demands during matches and on the training pitches.
Spence must show the same and his performance for England on Thursday was eye-catching. He was a constant thorn in the side of Italy and with his pace he kept getting into attacking areas in the final third and that is what Conte wants from his wing-backs. He helped set up one big chance for Chelsea's Conor Gallagher in the first half and his work and development at Spurs over the past couple of months will have helped his performance for his country.
That Carsley employed a 3-4-3 formation similar to Tottenham benefited all three of the north London club's players as they got to play in the roles they would under Conte.
Spence is willing to wait, not for too long of course, and he will be hoping that this upcoming and frantic rush of 13 fixtures within six weeks or so presents him with chances at Tottenham.
"The manager [was a big draw], obviously the club itself is a big club. Champions League football. Those were the things that made me want to come," Spence told football.london out in Israel during pre-season. "The manager knows what he wants and he wants his players to work hard. I’m willing to do that. I think it's going to be a good season for everyone.
"Hopefully I can make a quick impact, no one really likes waiting, although I know you've got to be patient and if you get the chance, you've got to take it."
When asked what Conte had told him that he is expecting from him, Spence said: "Just buy into what he’s doing, work hard and just play well when I get my chance. That's it."
Then asked what the Tottenham supporters can expect from him this season, Spence thought for a moment before suggesting: "Hopefully I can bring excitement to the team, bring something different and give the fans something to cheer about."
Then there is Destiny Udogie. Younger than the England trio at just 19-years-old, the Italian is spending the season back at Udinese after signing for Tottenham last summer.
The teenage left wing-back is seen as one of the brightest young talents in Italy right now and Spurs overcame plenty of competition for his services by agreeing to the loan back for the campaign. He has already scored twice in Serie A in his first six appearances of the new season.
Udogie is being tipped to play for the senior Italian side sooner rather than later and his Udinese boss Andrea Sottil was surprised the teenager did not make Roberto Mancini's latest squad.
"These decisions surprised me," Sottil was quoted as saying by Football Italia last week. "I respect Mancini’s choices but I was still surprised. I think Udogie is one of the best full-backs in the league, he proves this all the time."
It says plenty about Udogie's character that there was no sulking or feeling he was better than the level and when he was brought on at half-time, he was one of the best players on the pitch for the hosts. Always confident and calling for the ball, the teenager swept up the pitch in his left wing-back role with skill and strength and plenty of defensive ability as well.
He looked like a far older senior player helping out the youngsters rather than being one of the younger players on the pitch himself. For 26 minutes all four Tottenham players were on the pitch at the same time and we got to see Spence and Udogie up against each other down one flank. It brought plenty of fascinating tussles as both sought the upper hand.
The main takeaway from the game was that Spurs had four of the best players on the turf on the night and they are young starlets who are only going to develop and get better. The future looks bright for Tottenham Hotspur.
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