LONDON: Tottenham teenager Mikey Moore was compared to Brazilian ace Neymar after a standout role in the 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday with Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou admitting it will be difficult to “keep the lid” on expectations.
Making just his second start for the first team, 17-year-old Moore shone playing down the left wing, regularly leaving AZ defenders floundering.
“From minute 45 to 65, I thought we had Neymar on the left wing! He was brilliant,” Tottenham skipper James Maddison told TNT Sports as he compared his teammate to Neymar, the world’s most expensive footballer when he moved to PSG from Barcelona for €222 million in 2017.
“Demanded the ball, fearless. That young fearless mentality, you never want to take that away from him,” added Maddison.
“He’s a lovely boy, takes on information and he has got bags of ability. So, I will be there as an older player, hopefully with some wise words, to help him along the way. He has all the ability. It is about knuckling down and keep working hard which he does to be fair to him.”
Postecoglou admitted he faces a challenge to rein in anticipation of what Moore can deliver for the London club.
“It’s pretty hard for me to keep a lid on it now ain’t it? He was exciting. There is no point denying it,” said the manager.
“I love the way Mikey is taking it all in his stride, he works hard every day. He wants to develop, he understands that this is a journey.”
However, Postecoglou cautioned: “We have to be really careful about how we use him and when we use him, that is the key for us, particularly in these early stages.”
