Tottenham Midfielder Josh Onomah is Happy to be a Part of Pochettino’s Plans
One player who is hoping to be selected for Tottenham’s 25-man squad is Josh Onomah after impressing Mauricio Pochettino last season.
Ten days ago, two of Tottenham’s promising academy graduates Josh Onomah and Kyle Walker-Peters were a part of England’s Under-19 squad looking to win the European Under-19 Championship before losing 2-1 to Italy in the semi-finals.
Related Story: Josh Onomah Signs on for Spurs Until 2020
It was a devastating loss for everyone involved, but Onomah and Walker-Peters weren’t able to dwell on their bitter defeat for long, as Josh Onomah’s phone rang with Tottenham calling both players to be a part of Mauricio Pochettino’s 24-man squad for a pre-season tour in Australia.
Literally, only a few hours had passed before they had to travel down under and meet up with the rest of Spurs’ academy prospects, their two new signings and other fringe first-team players.
“I’m happy the gaffer brought me out here because me and Kyle were on international duty and we got the call after the last game and came straight here,” Onomah said (via Tottenham’s official website).
“We’d got all the way to the semi-finals in Germany and it was very disappointing to miss out, but three hours later we got the call to tell us we were travelling out to Australia.”
“It meant a lot to get that call from the gaffer, showing he cares and wants me to develop, and I thank him a lot for that.”
Having featured in 19 matches last season in all competitions, games against Juventus and Atlético Madrid these past few days have provided the 19-year-old with a good test in two high-profile pre-season friendlies.
“It’s been a good test. I’m happy I got more minutes under my belt and played in such big games in pre-season,” Josh Onomah continued.
“We’ve played two top teams – the Italian champions and the Champions League finalists and I’m happy I got the minutes.”
“I can feel myself improving, getting fitter, stronger and learning and that’s the importance of being out here.”
More from Hotspur HQ
- Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
- Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
- Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
- Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
- Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help
Being called into pre-season even after Onomah and Walker-Peters just wrapped up the Under-19 Euros, shows that Pochettino has a plan for them this upcoming season.
As mentioned above, Josh Onomah has already experienced playing time last year after making his debut in a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa.
Kyle Walker-Peters on the other hand only made a couple of appearances as a substitute on bench in a couple of Tottenham’s games, but it was a sign that he could be one of the next youth players making the jump into the first-team soon.
It now appears that both prospects could very well get that call this year. The 19-year-old midfielder appears more likely to make it onto the 25-man squad after playing a position of need that Mauricio Pochettino is looking to bolster this summer.
Next: Could Tottenham's DeAndre Yedlin Switch Positions?
“I look forward to working hard under the gaffer and hopefully this season I’ll look to achieve a lot of things,” Onomah added.
“That’s the thing with football, you can always set new goals no matter what you’ve achieved previously so obviously we’ll see where it goes from here.”
Lastly, Josh Onomah offered his thoughts on Spurs’ two signings: “They‘re very good signings. They’ve settled in really well, they’re good players to strengthen our squad and I look forward to hopefully working with them and also learning from them.”