Mikey Moore has seen limited game time at Tottenham Hotspur this season, leading to questions over whether he should be loaned out in the summer.
It has been an interesting season for Mikey Moore. Now the youngest player to start for Tottenham since Stephen Carr in 1993, he has been given his first real chance since joining the Tottenham first-team squad.
However, some supporters are disappointed Moore has not been given more opportunities to impress. He has only made 16 appearances this season, managing only two Premier League starts. This is despite the fact the squad has been laden with injuries, while Spurs currently sit 14th in the Premier League table.
Of course, Moore has experienced issues of his own at Spurs, being kept out by a lengthy illness for more than a month between November and January. Even since his return, however, the teenage prodigy has continued to be underused.
Heung-min-Son must make way for Mikey Moore at Tottenham
One of the main reasons Moore has lacked game time is because Heung-min-Son has been preferred by Ange Postecoglou as Tottenham’s starting left winger. The Spurs captain has managed 16 league goal contributions, but he looks a shadow of his former self.
He may have signed a short-term contract keeping him at the club until the end of next season, but it would probably be better for both parties if he was given his well-earned send-off this summer. The Spurs board might have other ideas, though, especially with Tottenham returning to Asia in pre-season.
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Son is a Tottenham legend, but he has done little to help change Tottenham’s downward course in the past few months. On top of this, his role as captain has been called into question, with some proposing Dejan Kulusevski should be named the new skipper. It is time for the Korean international to step aside and let youngsters like Moore have their chance.
The only condition under which Moore should be loaned out
One option Tottenham have is to send Mikey Moore out on loan. However, they do not exactly have a high success rate in recent times for players who have been sent out on loan.
There have been exceptions like Harry Kane who went away and came back stronger, but for every Kane there is a Bryan Gil, and the Spaniard is one of many to have temporarily left the club and flopped on his return.
Wilson Odobert is ahead of Moore in the pecking order at this moment in time, but as Tottenham’s second-choice left winger, the 17-year-old would have far more first-team opportunities than he has managed this season.
The only reason Moore should be loaned out is if Tottenham sign a new winger. Right now, a move to the better side of North London is highly unattractive.
Spurs look likely to part ways with their manager and have been nothing short of woeful this season. The chances of signing a top winger are pretty slim unless they identify an unsung talent.
Ultimately, the best option is to keep Moore at the club and to help him grow at with the team he knows so well. He may not be a regular starter just yet, but he has displayed enough of his talent to show he deserves a proper chance next season.
He is one of Tottenham’s own and it is time to see what he is made of.