Luke Amos aims to be Tottenham's N'Golo Kante after staking claim for Premier League debut

Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP3 August 2018

Tottenham's Luke Amos wants to be the club's answer to Chelsea and France midfielder N'Golo Kante.

Mauricio Pochettino has said Amos, 21, could play at Newcastle in Spurs' first Premier League game of the season after he impressed against Roma, Barcelona and AC Milan in pre-season.

The Spurs manager praised the young midfielder's "desire and energy" after the 1-0 win over Milan on Tuesday and, asked if he has a role model, Amos named Chelsea's World Cup winner Kante – a player who embodies those characteristics.

"I like to watch a lot of midfielders," Amos said. "As a child, I liked Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta, but now when I see how amazing Kante’s been...

"I love to watch Kante and see all the plaudits he’s getting. In the past players [like him] didn’t get that, so to see all the praise he’s getting is really good.

"I love his all-round game – his energy, running, tackling, passing. He’s taken the defensive midfield or box-to-box midfield role to a new level with his energy. If I can be anything like that, then I’ll be a good player.

“I'm more a box-to-box, defensive-minded [midfielder]," he explained. "I’m not a No.10. I’m not a tricky winger. I focus on running, passing, getting on the ball, making things happen, stopping things. They're things Kante does as well."

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Pochettino was left with mixed feelings about Spurs' US pre-season tour after injuries to Victor Wanyama, Moussa Sissoko and Erik Lamela presented opportunities to Amos and 17-year-old midfielder Oliver Skipp, who were the standout young players in the games in San Diego, Los Angeles and Minneapolis.

"This time last year me and Skippy were in France together," Amos said. "I remember sitting at a table eating lunch at an Under-21 tournament. We didn’t look this far ahead but it’s crazy now, we’re out here playing Barcelona, Milan. Life’s crazy. You think you know what’s going to happen but you can never predict it."

Pochettino has promised not to take risks with Spurs' nine World Cup semi-finalists, including midfielders Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele, a week tomorrow, while Wanyama, Sissoko, Harry Winks and Joshua Onomah are all injury doubts for the game at St. James' Park.

Amos spent the second half of last season on loan at League Two outfit Stevenage but asked if he was ready to make his top-flight debut, he said: "Of course. You’ve got to be confident in your own ability.

"That’s what you train every day for. That’s what you envisage as a child, that’s what you envisage when you’re practising. If I ever get the call, I’ll be ready and I’ll be confident.

“It’s definitely an experience going out on loan, it’s always good to play games," he added. "It opens up your eyes. I definitely had cheeky tactics here and there – a couple of pinches.

"But you probably find that all over the game. At the top level some players are like that – they have a bit of that edge. League Two is definitely a competitive league but it’s not like Roma or Barcelona.

In Pictures | Tottenham vs AC Milan | 01/01/2018

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"You see what Winksy’s done, Ryan Mason, obviously Harry Kane is now at the top of the world," he finished. "The coaches here say it’s doable."

Leon Hunter, Stevenage’s head of recruitment, believes Amos could cut it in the top flight. Stevenage had initially expressed interest in signing Amos permanently before they agreed the loan deal.

Hunter told Standard Sport: “Luke is the best loan we have done in my time at Stevenage. He is a diamond of a lad, a worker but a very talented player and it’s not a surprise to me that he could start in the Premier League next Saturday.”

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