Three Tottenham players who impressed Roberto De Zerbi during pre-season friendly win | OneFootball

Tottenham boss experimented with two different teams for opening game of pre-season

Tottenham kickstarted their pre-season preparations with a 1-0 win over MK Dons at Hotspur Way on Wednesday evening.

Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali started alongside each other for the first time after signing for a combined £185million earlier this month, while youngsters Luca Williams-Barnett and Mikey Moore were given a chance to impress in the second half.

It was Fernandes’ superb early volley that ensured Spurs got off to a winning start as Roberto De Zerbi got a first look at his squad ahead of the new season.

There were also minutes for fellow new signing Martin Dubravka as De Zerbi named two completely different starting lineups in each half.

Andy Robertson and Jan Paul van Hecke were not risked, however, having only returned to pre-season training earlier this week after taking a break following the World Cup.

The two new summer recruits will, though, travel as part of a 35-man squad to New Zealand and Australia for the club’s pre-season tour.

It was a promising first outing for De Zerbi and Spurs, and Standard Sport picked out three players who will have caught the eye of the Italian…

Mateus Fernandes

Took no time at all to introduce himself to the Spurs faithful as he opened the scoring with a sweetly struck volley that pinged off the post and flew into the back of the net.

It was quite the introduction from £85m man Fernandes and from there he settled into the game, popping passes through the lines and helping to set the tempo as Spurs’ players got back up to speed.

Comfortable dropping deep and receiving the ball or pushing forward to slip players in behind, Fernandes showed a lot of promising early glimpses.

De Zerbi has said that Fernandes needs to play in a system that suits him, and the early signs suggest that much of Spurs’ play will go through the 22-year-old, with De Zerbi trusting Fernandes’ ability to receive under pressure.

It is very much early days, but a confident start nonetheless from Fernandes, who said after the match that he is looking to add more goals and assists to his game this season.

Luca Williams-Barnett

The prodigious young winger has long been thought of as one of the brightest academy prospects at Spurs, and he made an imperious statement of intent in his first outing under De Zerbi.

Introduced at half-time, Williams-Barnett stole the show in the second-half as he drifted through challenges, picked passes and skipped past his marker with consummate ease.

Though Spurs were unable to add to their lead, Williams-Barnett kept plugging away, trying to create opportunities and drive his team forward.

Luca Williams-Barnett is highly regarded at Tottenham

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The 17-year-old was at the centre of everything good Spurs did in the second-half and he will have made a real impression on De Zerbi ahead of a hectic pre-season tour.

Malachi Hardy

A really assured performance from the young defender as Spurs kept a clean sheet to kickstart their pre-season with a comfortable victory.

Produced a superb block to deny MK Dons early in the second-half and impressed with his ability on the ball.

Impressive: Malachi Hardy

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The 18-year-old centre-back was calm with the ball at his feet and alert to any danger that MK Dons posed.

Having recently signed a new long-term deal at the club, Hardy is highly regarded at Spurs. He will hope for more minutes out in Australia and New Zealand.