The coming weeks are going to be crucial as Nuno Espirito Santo plots his grand Tottenham plans.
Appointed in the Spurs hotseat in place of Jose Mourinho, the new head coach has been working alongside a number of his squad at Hotspur Way for the very first time this past week with pre-season training now up and running.
The 47-year-old unfortunately doesn't have all his players to work with at present due to Euro 2020 and the Copa America taking place this summer, but he still does have plenty of familiar faces out on the training pitch with him and his coaching staff.
It will be a rather staggered return for those on international duty since the end of May, with Harry Kane, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Giovani Lo Celso and Davinson Sanchez set to be the last batch of players due back in early August after making it through to the final week of the competitions.
However, the likes of Joe Hart, Alfie Whiteman, Matt Doherty, Eric Dier, Harry Winks, Sergio Reguilon, Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele, Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela were all back on the first day as they got down to work ahead of the Man City opener.
Returning loan players Ryan Sessegnon, Jack Clarke and Cameron Carter-Vickers were also back in the capital, with academy stars Dane Scarlett, Nile John, Harvey White, TJ Eyoma, Jubril Okedina and Tobi Omole taking the number of players to 20 on the first day back out on the grass.
A time of the season when the new boss can take a good look at his squad and get his plans in place for the new term, some of those on the periphery of the first team in 2020/21 can play their way into favour as can a selection of youngsters.
Starting their pre-season games with a friendly away at Leyton Orient next Saturday, it represents an excellent chance for some to really catch Espirito Santo's eye ahead of the new season.
As well as missing a handful of players due to international commitments this week, injury also meant the head coach was without two talented players on his first day on the training pitch with his team.
Japhet Tanganga wasn't spotted outside as he steps up his return from the ankle injury he sustained against Aston Villa in the penultimate match of last campaign, with Oliver Skipp recovering from surgery on a metatarsal injury he picked up after helping Norwich City to the Championship title.
Amid question marks over when exactly the centre-back would be involved in pre-season, the 22-year-old revealed that he would be "back sooner than perhaps some people think" after sacrificing a summer holiday to work on his fitness.
Skipp was also in the same boat regarding his training return with Tottenham confirming after his surgery in May that he would be back at some point in the summer to begin his pre-season preparations.
Well, the duo have indeed made swift recoveries with Tottenham tweeting out a video on Friday of Skipp working on his fitness with his teammates before then uploading a short clip of Tanganga doing likewise on Saturday morning.
As reported by football.london during the week, Skipp's recovery from surgery is going very well and he could be introduced into Espirito Santo's full pre-season training as early as next week.
The head coach and his coaching staff just need to manage the pair at present but it is clearly a good sign that they are involved early on in pre-season rather than potentially coming back towards the end of it.
That will give both players the chance to impress the Portuguese boss and stake a claim for a starting spot in the side come the new Premier League campaign.
As a managerial change means a fresh start for everybody, Tanganga could come into his thinking at the back as Espirito Santo looks to fix his backline for good following big problems there last term.
Seen as a right-back by Mourinho despite spending the majority of his young career at centre-back, the head coach may believe that the academy ace is better played at the heart of defence.
Skipp, on the other hand, looks set to remain in north London despite Norwich City wanting to re-sign him on loan following the success of his first spell at Carrow Road.
football.london understands that Espirito Santo wants to help the player continue his development at the club and that could potentially see him compete for a regular spot in the team going on the huge strides he's made over the past 12 months.
While it's not clear yet if the duo will be ready to play next weekend when the team travel to Leyton Orient for their first friendly, Spurs have plenty of fixtures coming up after that for the pair to both make their mark.
An early pre-season return for both Skipp and Tanganga means they can show Espirito Santo what they really are about over the coming weeks as he gets his plans in place for 2021/22.
