Spurs loan watch: Tottenham defender misses managers first game in charge

Tottenham teenage loanee Ashley Phillips missed the first game of the era under new coach Narcia Pelach, who left his role as a first-team coach at Norwich City to replace the recently departed Steven Schumacher.

Phillips was forced off with a concussion in Stoke City's third round Carabao Cup win on penalties over League Two Fleetwood Town, and in cooperation with the concussion protocols that require a player to wait a week before taking to the field again.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, Stoke City fell to a 3-1 defeat at home to Hull City, who were previously winless, without Phillips. The Potters went into half time a goal to the good, but conceded three goals in a sixteen minute second half period, which included an own goal from central defender Ben Wilmot.

Spurs loan watch: Tottenham defender misses managers first game in charge

In the teenagers 191 minutes on the pitch for Stoke so far, they have not conceded a single goal across these three games, and conceded against Fleetwood after he had been taken off with the said injury. In the games he has not played since joining, Stoke have lost 2-1, 1-0 and 3-1. Whilst football is a team game, we are already starting to see a sample size that implies Phillips' importance to the side.

The good news is that Phillips will be fit and available to play in Stoke City's next game, as they travel to Teesside to play against Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough in the Championship. This is the same fixture the 19-year old made his impressive debut for the club, back in the Carabao Cup back in August. Kick off is 15:00 BST, next Saturday, the 28th of September.

On the note of the Carabao Cup, Phillips and Stoke will find out their fourth round opponent once the third round tie between Liverpool and West Ham United is over on Wednesday evening. It is possible that they could be drawn against Spurs, after a late win against Coventry City in midweek.