'Not the complete product' - Spurs boss Postecoglu urges patience with starlet amid Brazil icon comparison

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou joked that youngster Mikey Moore, who enjoyed a brilliant game against AZ Alkmaar, needed to work on his heading ahead of the weekend’s Premier League game against London rivals Crystal Palace.

The game marked Moore’s home debut, and he had fans on the edge of their seats, leading James Maddison to say that they thought they had Neymar on the other side of the field for 20 minutes.

In what was a narrow win, one of the brightest spots was Moore, and to keep him grounded, Postecoglou, who admits he’s happy to give him minutes, also said that he still had some growing up to do.

He told reporters after the win in north London: “He has to work on his heading – he had a couple of those opportunities. He is not the complete product. He has got a really mature outlook. He doesn’t let those things faze him. If he tries to take a player on and it doesn’t work, he won’t shy away from it the next time.

“I played him out on the right, but he definitely looks more comfortable on the left. But in the context, he still contributes when he is on the right. It’s not like he’s totally lost out there. He has got a great mature outlook on football.”

Spurs have now won all three of their Europa League games and are in a good position to progress to the next round with games to spare. But their attention will now be to continue climbing up the Premier League when they travel to Selhurst Park this weekend to face Crystal Palace.

The Eagles are struggling, and Spurs arrive off the back of an impressive win against West Ham over the weekend. Postecoglou has navigated a tricky period that saw defeats to Arsenal and Brighton, but he will hope they can now push for a top-four finish in the campaign.