Mikey Moore: 'Outstanding' Spurs academy star tipped to follow in Barcelona wonderkid's footsteps

Tottenham Hotspur teenager Mikey Moore became the talk of the footballing world on Thursday evening as he dazzled in Europa League action against Ferencvaros.

The London outfit won that midweek clash against the Hungarian champions 2-1 in Budapest as Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou fielded a young side on Thursday night. Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, both 18 years old, were named in the starting XI but it was 17-year-old Moore who put in a purring display.

Moore ‘outstanding’ in Europa League action

The winger was hailed as 'outstanding' by Postecoglou after the match, having played an important part in the build-up for both of his sides' goals, as well as working a golden opportunity for Timo Werner at 1-0.

Speaking after the victory in Europe, Postecoglou said: "I thought he was outstanding. It's brilliant for a 17-year-old to play 90 plus minutes in a European away tie.

"He just handled it superbly, I kind of knew he would and I think it'll help his growth as a footballer once you get through a sort of experience like that. I think he'll grow and evolve and I didn't feel like I needed to take him off. He still looked strong at the end and was still contributing."

Tottenham Hotspur teen compared to Euro 2024 wonderkid

The Tottenham Hotspur manager went as far as to liken Moore to Spanish talent Lamine Yamal. Also 17, the Barcelona prodigy sparkled at Euro 2024 and was named Young Player of the Tournament, as well as picking up Goal of the Tournament.

Postecoglou added: "How many 17-year-olds are playing in the Premier League? Yeah, Yamal is brilliant but it's not a common thing.

"It's still pretty rare because you have to take into account, not just their physical maturity at 17 of being able to handle it, their emotional maturity, you've got to be really careful. There are always exceptions to the rule and Yamal is certainly one of them, but if you look at the Premier League, how many 17-year-olds are actually contributing?

“Mikey is already to us, which shows that he's got something special, but we've just got to be really careful about how we develop that. I think because it's too easy just to say, oh, you know, he's a great young player just throw him in there, especially in the Premier League because of all the leagues probably in Europe, it's the most physically challenging.

“So young players, the first thing I want to see is can they handle it and to be fair, Mike handles it pretty well, and certainly Archie and Lucas have that, but we've got to be careful with them. But at the same time, we've brought some really talented young players to the club and part of my pitch to them was that we will develop them and they will play and it's my responsibility to make sure they do that.

“I can't shy away from that because the next 18 or 17-year-old who I sign will point to recent experience. So it's important we give them the game time they deserve."

Mikey More is record-breaking Spurs star

Moore's outing against Ferencvaros was not his first for the Tottenham Hotspur first team. The player has six appearances to his name and made his debut in May against Manchester City.

The winger became the youngest player to represent the club in the Premier League when coming off the bench against the Champions in that 2-0 defeat. Moore surpassed the record set by Dane Scarlett at the age of 16 years and 277 days.

The teenager has enjoyed top flight cameos against Sheffield United, Brentford and Manchester United, as well as featuring in both Europa League matches this season. Thursday was Moore's first time in the senior side's starting XI.

The winger is also a member of the England youth set-up and has played for three Lions at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-19 level.