Tottenham Hotspur manager has spoken about some of his young players and what the future holds for them.
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte believes Ryan Sessegnon, Djed Spence, and Oliver Skipp have the potential to become senior England internationals if they continue to improve at their current rate.
This season, the three England U21 internationals have received varying amounts of game time under Conte at Tottenham Hotspur. The Italian has relied heavily on Sessegnon, who has played 907 minutes across 16 appearances. Skipp has only played 215 minutes across nine games since returning from injury, and summer signing from Middlesbrough
There was some talk that Sessegnon might have been a late contender to sneak into Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the World Cup due to the number of injuries to left-backs in recent weeks. Although that never materialized, Conte has been pleased with the rate of progress the 22-year-old has made in the past year to become one of his regular starters.
“We signed [Ivan] Perisic but before he played a lot of games because I considered him a reliable player. Ryan for sure has had a big, big improvement in one year. Also, if you remember in the past he had many injuries. He has found good stability and has improved a lot and in the future, for sure he can become one of the players for the future England squad,” said the Spurs boss.
“Then it is up to him – to continue to work and continue to improve, to have this desire because now he is playing with the U21s with Spence and Skipp. For sure there is a possibility for them in the future if they continue to improve to make another step with the national team.”
One Tottenham player who is already a big England name is Harry Kane, with the striker set to lead his country as its captain at the World Cup in Qatar. The 29-year-old has played every match for Spurs this season and has been feeling the fatigue in the past week, but Conte believes that the England captain is going to star at the tournament.
“I think Harry is going to play a fantastic World Cup because this season he was never injured, he has been able to train well, he is good physically and for sure to play many games in such a short period is difficult – but not only for Harry,” he said. “Eric Dier is another player going with the national team. To play 13 games in 43 days mentally you could be a bit tired, but top players have to be good to manage these situations.
“You make a difference by managing these situations in the right way. When you are a top player it is very difficult for the manager to put them on the bench. You need your top players to play. There is a big risk for all the national teams. All the players played a lot. Then the games with the clubs finish and the World Cup starts. The coach of the national teams has to be very good to manage the situation. Until now, we have managed the situation, and believe me, it was really, really difficult.”
Conte was asked whether he will be nervously watching the World Cup and Kane through his fingers, fearing the striker could pick up an injury that could derail Tottenham’s hopes in the Premier League and Champions League when club football returns next month.
“When I watch Harry Kane, I see a player that wants to play every game! Every game! This is good. This is important for me because it means he feels well. He feels a lot of energy in his body,” he said. “For sure, at this moment he wants to finish well with us, with Tottenham.
“Tottenham is now at the top of his thoughts. Until Saturday. Then for sure, for sure, he is the captain of England, the most representative player. We are talking about a really top striker in the world. This is a big competition, the biggest competition in the world, and for sure, he has a great desire to do something special for his national team, but they have to do this after the game tomorrow.
“Before he has to give us everything. I am sure this will happen, but when you are a player like Harry that gives you everything in every game, it’s very difficult to make a decision, to put them on the bench, to give him rest. The desire and his eyes are full of energy.”
Conte believes that England fans should not worry about Kane’s fitness despite him having to play in the Carabao Cup defeat on Wednesday night and coming off after 58 minutes.
“I decided to make a substitution, because on the morning of the game when I spoke with him, he wanted to take the best decision, you understand. I debated a lot about his availability. I also thought during the game it was honest and fair to give him a bit of rest, don’t take a risk,” said the Tottenham head coach.
“Also in three days, we had to play another game. Also because you know there is the World Cup. The fans must not be worried about him. After this game, there is one week, and eight days to prepare for the World Cup. It is very difficult. He is working very well and we are talking about a player with great experience to manage his body.”
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