Kyle Walker-Peters looks to stake his claim for World Cup spot with England

“Walker? Peters? What do you like?” Jose Mourinho was wrestling with the name of the right-back he inherited when he joined Tottenham. It lends itself to confusion. Kyle Walker played in England’s last match. Kyle Walker-Peters could play in their next.

Former Tottenham teammates play in the same position and are near-namesakes but the senior figure has 65 caps. Walker-Peters got his first England call-up when Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold withdrew from the squad to face Ivory Coast and Switzerland.

It should prompt a sense of regret at Tottenham. Over the last couple of years, none of the now departed Serge Aurier, Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal has cemented a position on the right of their defence.

The boyhood Spurs fan Walker-Peters, who joined them at 10, made 24 appearances for them. Just one came under Mourinho before he was loaned to Southampton, then bought in a part-exchange deal with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Walker-Peters has instead realised his potential on the south coast. Spurs, who signed Doherty in 2020 and Royal in 2021, attempted to bring in Adama Traore in 2022 to play right wing-back. Their search continues.

If Walker-Peters’ selection now raises the possibility that he and Walker could emulate the actual namesakes Gary Stevens and Gary Stevens, the Tottenham and Everton full-backs who both made the 1986 World Cup squad, other comparisons are loftier still.

Ralph Hasenhuttl likened a beneficiary of his coaching prowess to arguably the best full-back of recent years. “He reminds me a little bit of Philipp Lahm, because he is so good on the ball, he always has good decisions,” he said last month. “He can run and makes nearly any mistakes.”

If the Southampton manager arrowed in on Walker-Peters’