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Mauricio Pochettino handed Oliver Skipp only his second Premier League start of his career on Sunday afternoon when Tottenham Hotspur welcomed Leicester City to Wembley.

On the chalkboard

Skipp, just 18 years of age, started on the left side of central midfield at the weekend alongside Harry Winks and a slightly more advanced Moussa Sissoko.

It was a big call from Pochettino on a day which saw Youri Tielemans - a rumoured target for Spurs in January - line up for the visitors in midfield.

The academy product was relatively quiet before he was withdrawn after 71 minutes, but fleeting bursts of energy and desire to recover possession pointed towards a natural ability to thrive at this level.

Pochettino's show of faith is key

That Pochettino trusted Skipp to start in the centre of his midfield against a side of genuine quality speaks volumes about how highly he is regarded.

His performance may well have been mediocre but he was facing a strong set of players with James Maddison, Wilfred Ndidi and Tielemans all starting for Claude Puel's side in the centre of the park.

The learning curve can be long and arduous for any aspiring player, and the fact Winks is only managing to establish himself as a first-team regular at 23  suggests that Skipp is an incredibly precocious talent to watch for the future.

Spurs fans cannot expect instant fireworks from their next aspiring academy talent, but the level of trust Pochettino has already placed in the youngster proves the Argentine is expecting him to rise through the ranks and evoke the type of enthusiasm for his performances that Winks has been producing of late.