Antonin Kinsky was thrown straight into the deep end, making his Tottenham Hotspur debut against Liverpool and Mohamed Salah in the club’s crucial Carabao Cup semi-final.
Prior to his first Tottenham start, 21-year-old Kinsky had only made 33 appearances for Slavia Prague in Czech Republic’s top flight, explaining the size of the task.
However, Kinsky dealt with the pressure remarkably well, a performance that was underlined by his ability with the ball at his feet.
Spurs fans could quickly forget about some horror moments when Fraser Forster took too long in possession – there’s now a new, better-suited face in town.
Solanke loved Kinsky’s debut, explaining that he was very happy to welcome the young Czech star to N17.
Jamie Redknapp makes exciting prediction about Antonin Kinsky at Tottenham
Of course, it has to be said that Kinsky did have one or two nearly moments, when he almost made a mistake with his hands, and not his feet.
However, when reflecting on the keeper’s debut for Sky Sports, former Tottenham star Jamie Redknapp was still monumentally impressed.
The pundit said that it was a ‘big decision’ for Postecoglou to throw Kinsky straight in, but a call that then immediately paid dividends.
Speaking at full-time, Redknapp said: “Really good. Big decision to throw him in. He looked calm, confident. Good with his feet, made a couple of good saves, the one from Nunez at the end.
“He looks like he’s certainly going to be a good goalkeeper for the future.”
A superb first outing in a Tottenham shirt, but only the start for a keeper who has already set a very high bar for his level of performance.
Antonin Kinsky days away from his first North London Derby
In addition to Kinsky’s first minutes on the pitch, there was also a heartwarming moment when the 21-year-old headed straight to his family at full-time in the crowd.
The keeper gave his sister a big hug, a sign of how big the occasion was for Kinsky, one that he handled well.
It’ll now be interesting to see whether Kinsky keeps his place against Tamworth in the FA Cup this weekend, or whether Postecoglou rewards Brandon Austin for his capable performance when called upon of late.
Of course, there’s the small matter of a north London derby to navigate next week, and the Spurs manager may want to give Kinsky another chance to build confidence and momentum beforehand.