‘I see a brilliant future’ - Conte purring once again about 'really important prospect' at Spurs

During his post-match press conference following Tottenham’s 3-1 victory over West Ham, Antonio Conte hailed the improvements made by Lilywhites youngster Dane Scarlett.

The 17-year-old has made tremendous strides over the past year after impressing with Tottenham’s under-23 side.

As a result, he has been included in the Lilywhites’ first-team matchday squad 17 times this season, coming off the bench in the 4-0 win over Leeds in February.

Conte is a keen admirer of the young striker – indeed, last month the 52-year-old publicly labelled him as “the best prospect from the academy”.

During his post-match press conference after the win over West Ham on Sunday, Conte sang Scarlett’s praises, claiming that the 17-year-old will play a big part in Spurs’ future.

As quoted by football.london, the Tottenham manager stated:

“I’m seeing a lot of improvement today in [Dane] Scarlett honestly if I have to tell you. Seeing that this guy is improving a lot, he’s only 17-years-old but I can tell you that he is a really important prospect for Tottenham. He has to be patient and work behind these very important players and continue to work in this way because about Scarlett, I can tell you that I see a brilliant future for him.”

These comments should come as a huge fillip for the 17-year-old, who has had piecemeal action in the FA Cup and Europa Conference League this season. Judging by the manager’s glowing praise, Scarlett may yet be handed more senior game-time in the closing weeks of the campaign.

Indeed, the Italian is not the first Spurs coach to sing the teenager’s praises. Scarlett was previously hailed by former Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho, who claimed that “he will be somebody in a few years” and is already a “phenomenal”