Postecoglou could start truly ‘brilliant’ 23-year-old for Tottenham against Aston Villa

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has plenty to think about in terms of team selection ahead of Spurs’ Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Sunday.

Tottenham have multiple players out. Not only is their defence depleted but their midfield will be missing at least two, and potentially three, key players.

James Maddison is out with an injury and Yves Bissouma is serving a suspension. In addition, Pape Matar Sarr is a doubt with an issue picked up on international duty.

There’s a good chance that Postecoglou could start Oliver Skipp for Tottenham in the match against Unai Emery’s side.

On Friday, the Spurs boss dropped a hint about the 23-year-old’s potential selection, saying he has been working hard and suggesting he’ll soon get an opportunity to play.

“Skippy has been working hard in training,” Postecoglou told football.london. “He’s obviously one of the guys who has stayed back with us — we’ve had four or five.

“He has done a lot of good work, the last couple of weeks. He’s working hard, waiting for his opportunity.

“But that doesn’t mean he can’t make an impact — and he has made an impact coming on during games and helping us.

“The challenge for him, for all the guys, is there’s no doubt the way we are at the moment with the numbers, they’ll all get an opportunity to play. It’s about what they do with that.”

Skipp is a ‘brilliant‘ talent who made waves in the Tottenham academy and is now closing in on 100 senior Spurs appearances, but he still has a lot to prove.

The Tottenham graduate is certainly Premier League level, works really hard and is popular in the dressing room, but in terms of whether he can help Spurs reach the next level, the jury’s still out on that.

Let’s see whether Skipp can go on to stake a claim for a regular starting spot in Tottenham’s midfield, potentially beginning with Villa on Sunday.

With the January transfer window coming up, Postecoglou will need to see whether to stick with his options – particularly with Sarr and Bissouma set to go to the Africa Cup of Nations – or bring in reinforcements in the transfer window.