Tottenham Hotspur opened their pre-season campaign with a five star victory in the capital of Scotland, on an evening that was heavily dominated by the youngsters selected by Ange Postecoglou.
Throughout his first season as Spurs boss, there was plenty of opportunities for Hotspur Way prodigies to get a taste of being around the first team match day squad. Most notably, Jamie Donley - who started on Wednesday - and Mikey Moore received opportunities in the Premier League, whilst there was also regular spots on the bench for the likes of Alfie Dorrington, Yago Santiago and even Ashley Philips, before his loan move to Plymouth Argyle in January.
Last season, the under 21 side won the league phase of Premier League 2, losing just twice, before rounding off a fine season by winning the play-off stage.
Wayne Burnett's side also reached the final of the Premier League u21 Cup, where they suffered a heavy defeat in the final against Fulham, in only their third defeat of the season.
Thirteen players who had climbed the ranks in the academy were named in the squad as The Lilywhites' Premier League preparations officially got underway.
In the first half, the former Celtic manager named a strong side, consisting of the likes of James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Heung-Min Son. However, in the second period, plenty of experimentation allowed for the youngsters to get a chance to impress, and they certainly did just that.
Lankshear labelled as Kane heir
Will Lankshear - who won the Premier League 2 Player of the Season and Golden Boot in 2023/24 - made his first ever appearance for the senior team under Ange Postecolgou, after he trained for the entirety of the past week with the big boys.
The Welwyn Garden City-born nineteen year old came on as a half time substitute at Tynecastle and didn't look out of place for even a split second throughout his 22 minute cameo, which saw the striker find the back of the net.
Lankshear has previously been on the books of North London rivals Arsenal and Sheffield United, but now looks to have found his feet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - he even kissed the badge after his goal in Edinburgh.
He had no issues playing up against the senior defensive partnership in the centre of the Hears defence, who he bullied for the majority of his short spell on the pitch. Lankshear registered four shots on goal, successfully completed his only attempted dribble and also won his one and only duel, in an impressive showing.
After scoring 25 goals in all competitions last season, the 19-year old will be hoping to break into the first team under Postecoglou this season, and there is absolutely no reason why he cannot, especially with the amount of football Spurs will play in the next ten months as they battle on all four fronts.
New signings impress on debut
Archie Gray made his Tottenham Hotspur debut at Tynecastle on Wednesday night, after completing a £40m move from boyhood club Leeds United.
Starting at centre back due to the lack of regular first team options, Gray offered Spurs fans a glimpse of what he can do, as he stepped into the midfield with the ball on plenty of occasions, looking to drive forward and create an attacking chance for the front three, who he said he is "lucky" to be able to play with.
On social media, many fans were raving over his 45-minute cameo, before he was brought off at half time as Postecoglou made wholesale changes. The eighteen year old successfully completed all but two of his 53 attempted passes and his defensive work was top notch too. Nothing got past the ball-playing midfielder, as he produced three interceptions, won all four of his duels and made one tackle .
One of the youngsters who came on to replace the versatile Englishman, was fellow 18-year old Lucas Bergvall. Signing from Djurgårdens IF in Sweden in January, the midfielder only joined up with the squad on the first day of pre-season, when the move officially went through.
He took no time at all to get into the thick of it, always looking to pick up the ball from the centre back and get attacking moves underway. Just twenty minutes into his first ever appearance in the famous white shirt, Bergvall registered an assist, as he turned and played a defence splitting pass to Mikey Moore for the third goal of the evening.
Both new signings are expected to heavily feature for the first team this season and on their debuts, both looked well accustomed to the style of football Ange Postecoglou wants to pay. At such a young age, they really do have the world at their feet, and these two signings could prove to be a transfer wi dow masterstroke from The Lilywhites hierarchy.
Moore continues where he left off
For the final five matches of the 2023/24 season, sixteen year old Mikey Moore was named in the match day squad by Ange Postecoglou, and became the club's youngest ever player when he came off the bench against Manchester City on a bizarre night in North London.
Daniel Levy has already moved to secure the future of the prospect - who has attracted continental recognition - with Moore agreeing professional terms with the club, which will officially go through when he turns seventeen next month. This is a statement of intent from Tottenham, who have fended off interest from some of Europe's elite in order to keep their teenage sensation in N17.
Given the entire second half to show Tottenham fans what he can do, Mikey Moore shone as he played on the right hand side of the front three at Tynecastle, where he scored Tottenham's third goal of the evening.
Picking up the ball from 18-year old new signing Lucas Bergvall, Moore drove into the penalty area before cutting back onto his right foot and finding the bottom corner.
Well-known for his silky dribbling and elite ball skills, the sixteen year-old completed both of his attempted dribbles and won four fouls on Tuesday evening, giving fans a taste of his impeccable abilities, especially considering he is really just a kid. Reports from reliable journalists also state that he found the back of the net in a behind closed doors friendly with League One side Cambridge united on Saturday.
With UEFA Europa League football, in a revamped and expanded format, coming The Lilywhites' way this season, we expect the attacker to feature prominently in Ange Postecoglou's plans as he looks to have a solid first full season in the men's game at such a young age.
Donley shows versatility
Just eighteen months ago, Jamie Donley was a striker. Fast forward to the present day, and he's fresh off the back of completing a half of football at left back, and didn't look out of his depth in any way, shape or form.
He is highly-rated by both academy and first team staff at Tottenham, and he was even given his Premier League debut by Ange Postecoglou in December 2023. Donley has even attracted interest from the Championship, and could move to the second tier on loan this summer.
For the academy, he has moved further down the pitch into a number ten, or an advanced-eight role, mainly due to his similarities to Harry Kane when it comes to his playmaking qualities. This is a natural move for the 19-year old, who had a knack for dropping in deep and creating opportunities for fellow attackers in behind - in the 22/23 season he hit the back of the net and assisted on four occasions each, in his eleven matches played as a striker.
Although Ange Postecoglou admitted at full time that Donley wouldn't have expected to start in the back four, the move is one that he will be familiar with, due to both full backs being told to invert into the midfield as often as possible.