The first team return to action

One day to go before Hugo Lloris returns to a Tottenham shirt when we take on Inter. Jan Vertonghen is not fir yet although he is training and is ahead of schedule to return. He isn't a part of the squad who have travelled, neither is Victor Wanyama who get some game time in Australia. Nothing sinister, his visa didn't arrive in time for him to go to Norway.


Marcus Edwards and the other youngsters get some more time around the first team to help them fee a part of the set up. When you are a small 17-year-old it is a big step up mixing with the first team squad on a regular basis. It is one thing training, but match day is quite a different affair and players have to get accustomed to the atmosphere surrounding the day. This is not just turn up change and play football, there is a lot more to deal with.

Listening and taking in team talks, seeing how those instructions are interpreted, media fuss, crowd emotion, pre-game routines, food, travelling, handling defeat. We were taking youngsters to Europa League games to experience the whole world surrounding the games and getting them used to it. It is an attempt to remove mental barriers, to make youngsters more comfortable and feeling more a pert of a group so when the time comes that they are going to be used they have had everything done to give the their chance to impress.

The idea with Dele Alli last season was to give him cameo appearances and get him used to the Premier League with a view to him playing regularly this season. He threw that out of the window but he is the exception to the rule. harry Kane was given small cameo appearances here and there, it was all a building process.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, Anton Walkes, Harry Winks, Marcus Edwards will all be waiting an a chance to get on the pitch. Of them all you would say Harry Winks made the biggest impression in Australia and together with Josh Onomah who has cameo roles last season, to make more than the odd fleeting appearance.

You can understand some who went to Australia sitting this one out, but Nacer Chadli hasn't made the squad, plenty will read plenty into that. Indeed they have already started on Twitter, plus the omissions of Trippier and Ball. People do love a conspiracy theory.

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