Tottenham wonder Luke Williams-Barnett impressed Steven Gerrard and many others on his Premier League debut.
Steven Gerrard has described Tottenham Hotspur wonder Luca Williams-Barnett as “one to watch”.
The 18-year-old made his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace on Saturday, coming on in the dying moments of Matys Tel’s 2-0 win. The Spurs academy graduate should have had an assist as well, but Mohamed Kudus failed to score after a Williams-Barnett run that saw the teenager dribble past two Palace defenders.
Roberto De Zerbi described Williams-Barnett as a “huge talent” after the match and Liverpool legend Gerrard was impressed by what he saw of the player.
Speaking on Sky Bet’s Overlap Daily, Gerrard said: “I really liked one moment of the game, you might have to help me with the name of the young lad – Williams-Barnett. I’ve heard his name mentioned to me a few times in the England squad but he’s come on for a little cameo and if I’m a Tottenham fan I’m going to win and win. Obviously in this new place, this new confidence.
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“But this young lad is going to be a player. I’ve seen enough in the 10-minute cameo. He came on in about the 80th minute. He went on this little crazy run down the left and crossed, put the ball in front. It was like a Declan Rice cross. [the assist for Kai Havertz in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Liverpool].
“And I thought to myself, they’ve got their own little Rio Ngumoha. So look out for this guy. I really like him. It’s in my notes, so I should know it, but I didn’t look at my Spurs notes. Look. Here it is. Dejan Kulusevski came in and he was great…
“It was a fantastic save. He almost scored. It’s good to see him back. But young man, Williams-Barnett. Look, just proof. Williams-Barnett. One to watch in the headlines.”
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Williams-Barnett has trained with Tottenham’s first team this season after impressing in pre-season. He was a second-half substitute in the 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Charlton in August and was an unused substitute in the Premier League games against Brentford, Coventry and Chelsea.
The teenager could be used again when Spurs travel to Leeds this weekend, with De Zerbi looking to make it four league wins in a row. As for Palace’s win, Gerrard admitted to the “crazy” moment of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s red card and immediately favored Spurs.
“The game was ruined from a neutral point of view,” said the former midfielder. “When I looked at it, it was a bit of a dull game at the end. Great result for Spurs and they did exactly what they had to do.
“But up front, Jean-Philippe Mateta, who I’m a fan of, great for Crystal Palace, moment of madness again. Being where you shoot and tackle; the ball’s nowhere near there. It was the right decision by the officials. He brought Crystal Palace down and then he waved and got blocked. Tottenham got there in the end.”