Much of the English focus over the international break was on the senior side as Gareth Southgate’s men stepped up preparations for this year’s World Cup with successive victories over Switerzland and Ivory Coast.
Yet elsewhere it also proved a fruitful break for Lee Carsley’s U21 England squad as they secured victories over Andorra and Albania. Arguably the most impressive of those wins was the 4-1 victory over Andorra in a game in which former Tottenham prospect Noni Madueke starred.
Madueke came through the Spurs academy and impressed at various England youth age groups, notably captaining the U16s before making his debut for the U18s at just 15. Spurs tried to tie him down on a senior contract at 16, and other big Premier League sides such as Man United also showed an interest. However, he opted to sign a three-year deal with PSV instead, stating the move “was going to be the best” for his development.
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The guarantee of regular first-team football has played a big part in his evolution, and he’s now again attracting the attention of England’s biggest clubs. So far this season, the 20-year-old has scored nine goals while registering a further five assists. That in isolation would be impressive, however, it's made even more imposing when you take into account he missed a combined four months of the campaign through injury.
Madueke usually plays on the right of PSV’s attack. He’s right-footed, so naturally thrives when driving to the byline and whipping crosses into the box. Yet that’s actually only a small part of what he can offer. This is because the 20-year-old is extremely two-footed and skilful, so he can just as easily chop inside and then unleash shots at goal or thread piercing passes into the penalty area. And one of Madueke’s best assets is undoubtedly his dribbling.
Only one Eredivisie player has averaged more attempted dribbles than him this season (10.24 per 90), a point made better made by his impressive success rate of more than 50 per cent from those take-ons. His skill is also complemented by an impressive physical profile. The attacker stands at 6ft tall, he's strong, but also possesses a great turn of pace.
Madueke’s current ability and potential ceiling mean that from a Tottenham point of view, it’s hard not to see the 20-year-old as ‘one who got away’. However, the same also means that it’s pretty inevitable that he’ll leave PSV for a bigger club one day soon.
There’s every chance that could be this summer too given that manager Roger Schmidt is leaving to be replaced by former United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy. While the Dutchman will be eager to keep hold of Madueke, the feeling may not be mutual and instead, Madueke may see it as the perfect opportunity to take the next step up in his career.
Spurs would certainly represent that, and they’d undoubtedly be keen to add the exciting attacker to their ranks again if there was an opportunity to do so, having been linked with bringing him back to the club before.
