Thomas Frank issues 'very tough' challenge to Luca Williams-Barnett after Spurs starlet's debut | OneFootball

The Tottenham head coach was “very happy” with the youngster’s debut and hopes he can fight for a consistent spot in the first team

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The 16-year-old came on for the final minutes of Spurs’ 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Doncaster, becoming the 900th player to represent the club.

Williams-Barnett was one of three academy stars on the bench and got the nod for his first-team bow after registering six goals and four assists in four appearances for the Under-21 side this season.

“Yeah, very happy with that,” Frank said.

This is Williams-Barnett’s first season with the U21s but he has already looked a cut above, scoring and assisting in the UEFA Youth League against Villarreal earlier this month.

He also scored a hat-trick against Leicester last week to take his PL2 tally to four goals and two assists in four matches.

Spurs are not alone in giving minutes to young talents, with 15-year-old Max Dowman making his Arsenal debut earlier this season and Rio Ngumoha featuring for Liverpool having only just turned 17.

Frank praised Williams-Barnett for making the first step on his journey to becoming a first-team regular, but made it clear there is still a long way to go for the teenager.

“I think that definitely over the last many years the focus on the talent development and academies across the world is so big,” Frank said.

“So the talent pool is bigger. There are these talents coming through that are younger and younger.

“But one thing is the debut when you're 16. The next step, and much more important, is how Luca or other players take those steps forward. It's very tough to keep going and then get into the first team as a really regular player. But the first step is very important.”