Mikey Moore is ready for more opportunities and eager to repay the faith of Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou after he flourished on his full debut against Ferencvaros.
The 17-year-old was one of four teenage starters for Spurs on Thursday but the quartet of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Will Lankshear – dubbed ‘Ange’s Angels’ – helped the visitors grind out a 2-1 victory at Groupama Arena.
Moore has been a source of excitement for Tottenham supporters for more than 12 months after he starred in two of the youth teams’ cup triumphs in 2023 and also made his first appearance for the Under-21s at the age of 15.
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After the London-born attacker become the youngest player to feature for Spurs in the Premier League with a late cameo against Manchester City in May, Moore has continued to develop at a rapid rate and enjoyed a strong pre-season which was followed by a first start in Budapest.
It did not take long for Moore to make his mark with a driving run able to help set up Pape Sarr’s 23rd-minute opener and he was involved in Brennan Johnson’s clincher four minutes from time when he threaded a delightful pass through to Dominic Solanke.
Quizzed on when he found out he would start, Moore admitted: “To be fair, I only knew about 4 o’clock…but I was ready.
“It is what you work for. Obviously there are a bit of nerves coming into it, but once you get on the pitch you are all right.
“It’s a big step but it is one I am ready to take. It’s been all right, all the boys have helped me and it’s been perfect really so far.”
Postecoglou insisted last week Moore was ready to start despite only celebrating his 17th birthday in August, but it was a bold call in an intimidating away fixture in Europe.
Ange Postecoglou gave Mikey Moore his chance in Hungary (AP)
It paid off handsomely and while fan expectation will be difficult to manage, Moore is determined to justify his manager’s trust even if a place back on the bench at Brighton on Sunday is likely considering he played 90 minutes in Hungary.
Moore told TNT Sports: “He (Postecoglou) is giving me little tips all the time, really.
“Him putting me in the team, you get the trust straight away so I am thankful for him to start me and put his trust in me. He is helping me all the time but so are all the coaching staff.”
Barcelona’s teenager superstar Lamine Yamal was mentioned in reference to Moore during Postecoglou’s post-match press conference, but a comparison closer to home is Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri.
Nwaneri, who is also 17, scored twice on his full Gunners debut against Bolton in the Carabao Cup last month and has featured alongside Moore throughout various England age-groups.
“The (wet) conditions, it always suits defenders because they can fly in with tackles and Mikey got one in the first 30 seconds I think,” Postecoglou remembered.
“He kept his feet well and he takes the responsibility of driving inside or taking his man on, he makes good decisions with the ball.
“He’s got so much growth still, but the good thing is he wants to learn, he wants to develop and I couldn’t be happier for him, but also pretty pleased that he’s part of our football club.”