Alex Pritchard has been backed to make a breakthrough at Tottenham Hotspur next season by Mark Warburton, the manager at Brentford under whom he has excelled while on loan.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has made 45 league appearances for Brentford, scoring 12 goals, and he will be a part of the team that attempts to overturn a 2-1 deficit in the second-leg of the Championship play-off semi-final at Middlesbrough on Friday night.
Pritchard is highly regarded at Tottenham, where he has emerged through the youth ranks and the Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has shown he is willing to give homegrown players a chance in the first team.
Pritchard, who made his Tottenham debut under Tim Sherwood as a late substitute against Aston Villa on the final day of the 2013-14 season, is also tipped to make an impact for England at the European Under-21 Championship in the summer. He has six under-21 caps and he previously represented England at the Under-20 World Cup in 2013.
“I would never speak for a Premier League club or Premier League manager but this is my opinion,” Warburton said. “I think Alex goes on to grace White Hart Lane. He’s got so much ability and he’s hungry for more. I think he’ll grace the international stage, too.
“I’d love to see him do well for Gareth Southgate’s under-21s this summer. He’s got to deal with many things. When you go back to a club of Tottenham’s size, you’ve got to deal with other hurdles. Don’t forget, he’s had a lot of pitch time here. It’s about dealing with that. But for me, he just has so much ability and he is a very bright, young British talent. I think he will play at the very highest level, I really do. He has that edge to his game.”
