Robbie Keane was left seriously impressed with Tottenham Hotspur youngster Oliver Skipp’s second-half display against West Ham United.
Spurs bounced back from a dismal performance at Leicester City last weekend by picking up a 2-0 win over their London rivals today.
Cristian Stellini took charge for the third time this season after Antonio Conte remained in Italy to recover after surgery.
Tottenham put in a lacklustre display during the first-half, despite having a strong appeal for a penalty turned down.
But the north Londoners improved dramatically after half-time, with goals from Emerson Royal and Heung-Min Son sealing an important win.
Skipp was given the nod over Pape Matar Sarr after the duo impressed at the San Siro during the week.
The 22-year-old partnered Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in midfield for Spurs today and he certainly built on his promising performance against AC Milan. And he has received high praise from Keane for his display during the second-half.
Keane praises Skipp
Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, the Tottenham legend praised both Hojbjerg and Skipp for stepping up after half-time.
“If you look at the midfield players, especially Hojbjerg, he’s been one of Spurs’ best players,” Keane said.
“With Bentancur missing out, the lads have to step up because he’s a big player for Spurs. He [Hojbjerg] stepped and Skipp as well, certainly the second-half. I thought Skipp was excellent in the second-half.”
Skipp has struggled with injuries over the past year but he did partner Hojbjerg in midfield during the early stages of Antonio Conte’s reign.
The youngster will only benefit from playing regularly once again and while Bentancur’s injury is a huge blow for Spurs, both Skipp and Sarr have stepped up so far.
Tottenham have now moved back into the top-four after today’s win, which will be encouraging for Conte considering they have been way below their best.
If Spurs can manage to put a run together over the coming weeks, they could put themselves in a commanding position in terms of their hunt for Champions League qualification.