The Stoke manager confesses that he is impressed with Tottenham’s Ashley Phillips after giving him his first couple of starts this week.
Tottenham youngster has had to be patient
Ashley Phillips has had to be patient since new manager Narcis Pelach replaced Steven Schumacher at Stoke City back in mid-September.
The Tottenham youngster finally got his first start under his new boss last weekend as the Potters fell to a 2-0 loss against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
The 19-year-old kept his place in the starting eleven for the Potters’ 3-2 loss against Southampton in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, and his display has left Pelach impressed.
Narcis Pelach praises Ashley Phillips
Even though Stoke were knocked out of the League Cup after a 3-2 defeat at St Mary’s, Phillips had a decent outing, evening finding the back of the net towards the end of the first half.
Speaking after the game, Pelach admitted that he has seen enough in the Blackburn academy graduate to suggest that he will be a top centre-back in the future.
The Stoke boss said about Phillips after the game (via StokeOnTrentLive): “He had chances against Sheffield United the other day. I’m impressed with his performance today and the other day and he needs to continue in this direction because I think he’s a good centre-back, can be very good in the future.”
Have things shifted for Ash Phillips?
With these two performances, Phillips has put his hand up and shown that he can be relied upon, particularly considering that he held his own against Premier League opposition.
Based on the Stoke manager’s words, one would expect the teenager to get a lot more game time over the coming months.