Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom, who previously coached Will Lankshear at Sheffield United, reveals that the Tottenham youngster’s quality was immediately noticeable when he was part of first-team training sessions.
Lankshear showed last season that he was too good for the Under-21s set-up, with the teenager scoring goals for fun at that level and arguably being the main catalyst to Tottenham’s Premier League 2 title win.
The 19-year-old impressed when opportunities came his way in pre-season and Ange Postecoglou’s decision to keep him at the club rather than loan him out, suggests that the Tottenham boss is eyeing a first-team role for the centre-forward this season.
In fact, the Australian himself confessed last week that Lankshear could get his opportunities in the Europa League, particularly since the extent of Richarlison’s injury remains unclear at the moment (Football.London).
The youngster was with the Blades academy until he made the move to Hotspur Way in 2022, and Heckingbottom has revealed that the striker’s movement stood out even at that age, explaining that he would cause the senior centre-backs all sorts of problems during defensive drills.
The former Blades boss told The Sun about Lankshear: “He was hungry. He was just what we were all about. Jack Lester quickly picked up on his movement in and around the box and thinking like a goalscorer which I think is his biggest attribute.
“When we were coaching him and putting on a session for the centre-backs, him and his movement could destroy a session. His instincts constantly caused problems as a coach and as a defender.”
Heckingbottom believes that the centre-forward has all the attributes to lead the line for Postecoglou’s men this season.
He added: “The way that Ange plays, having a No9 occupying centre-backs and trying to play on the shoulder and being good in the box is a big, big thing. Will can do that.
“He makes good runs off the shoulder and he’s all about being alert and alive in the box and finishing chances. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes out on loan and see him scoring goals in the EFL.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Tottenham are blessed with some outstanding young attackers in their youth ranks at the moment but what makes Lankshear particularly valuable is that top-class centre-forwards are an extremely rare commodity in modern-day football.
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