Ange Postecoglou says that Mikey Moore is ready to start a Premier League game for Tottenham, insisting he does not see "pitfalls down the road" for the teenager.
Moore caught the eye with an outstanding second-half display as Spurs beat AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.
With Spurs captain Heung-min Son "still not 100 per cent" and "unlikely" to return to the side for Sunday's derby at Crystal Palace, fans will be clamouring for the 17-year-old winger to make his first start in the Premier League.
Postecoglou says Moore is ready to start any match but warned that the club must be "really careful" with his development.
"He is ready to start any game but I just feel, and especially with young players, you need to be really careful with their introduction into senior football," the Spurs head coach said.
"Even last year he didn't really have a full season of football, he had quite a few injuries, a couple of injuries that kept him out and he went from playing Under-18s football to very little Under-21s football before we integrated him.
"He is still physically growing and you take that into account. I think he's ready to start a Premier League game, for sure.
"For us, what we want to do is to continue to develop Mikey in the right way and give him a platform to keep improving. So far, whatever we've asked of him he's made a real impact and the plan is to continue to do that."
After the AZ Alkmaar game, which was settled by Richarlison's second-half penalty, Tottenham's captain on the night, James Maddison, compared Moore to Neymar.
Postecoglou said: "I think Mikey just wants to be Mikey. He’s very mature for a 17-year-old, he handles things really well - both positive and negative.
"He works hard every day and he’s making an impact at an age where it’s very hard to make an impact at this level.
"But it’s the beginning of a process for him and his career, and, like I said, from my perspective it’s about constantly making sure we’re working with him and giving him the platform to keep improving. And if he does, Mikey will be Mikey and that’ll take him to wherever his ability does.
"If he's played 15 to 20 games for Mikey between now and the end of the season... I think it is meaningful for him," Postecoglou continued. "And then we assess it from there."
Supporters sang Moore's name during the second half on Thursday and Postecoglou says his emergence is energising the entire club, adding that he hopes to be the Tottenham manager who benefits from the forward's continued development.
"It is exciting because it filters through the whole club because I am sure everyone in the academy will take enormous pride in that," Postecoglou said.
"The whole club feels good about seeing someone come through the programme and yeah as a manager, you are excited that at 17 you have got a player who is already showing maturity in mindset where he is giving himself every chance to be the best player he can be.
"Sometimes young players are exciting but you think you can already see some pitfalls down the road, but I don't see that with him. At 17, you wonder if he keeps going like that, what is he going to be like at 20, 21? Hopefully I am still the manager that benefits from that, mate, but you never know."
