Here is your Tottenham Hotspur morning digest for Saturday, September 24.
Djed Spence sends Tottenham message
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.
Son Heung-min freekick
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal team may be slightly worried about coming against Son Heung-min once Premier League football returns next weekend. Failing to score in his first eight games of the season for Tottenham, the 30-year-old silenced his critics with an incredible hat-trick against Leicester City in the space of 13 minutes and 21 seconds.
Having looked short on confidence in the opening weeks of the season and struggling with his game, Antonio Conte's decision to drop the player down to the bench for a breather proved to be a masterstroke. Ultimately handing his man a much-needed confidence boost in the process, his heroics against Leicester don't appear to be a one-off.
Involved in international action for South Korea on Friday against Costa Rica, the Spurs man was once again on the scoresheet to help his country salvage a 2-2 draw. Trailing 2-1 heading into the final five minutes of the contest, the hosts were awarded a free-kick on the left corner of the box which Son duly took control of.
Eric Dier World Cup bid
Gareth Southgate has some tough decisions to make as he narrows down his England squad ahead of the World Cup, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier one of the players who could retake his claim.
Southgate is set to name his provisional squad for the tournament on Wednesday, October 19, which is 33 days before kick-off in Qatar. With the final 26-man squad needing to be submitted to FIFA by Sunday, November 13, there is still time to earn - and lose - those seats on the plane, with some huge talking points across the board during the international break.
Dier had become a figure of ridicule for some after a near two-year hiatus from the international scene, but his recall for the Nations League fixtures against Germany and Italy represents a sharp change in the narrative. Southgate’s defence is a crowded affair, but for those who took note of Dier's imperious performances under Antonio Conte in the middle of Spurs’ back three, the latest call-up is more than deserved.
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