Danny Rose has hailed Ryan Sessegnon for his "brilliant" performance in Tottenham's 3-1 defeat at Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening.
With their place in the Round of 16 already assured of ahead of the match in Germany, Jose Mourinho made a number of changes to his Spurs team as he gave the summer signing his first start for the club.
Having had to make do with three appearances off the substitutes' bench prior to the Lilywhites' final group game, it was imperative that the 19-year-old made an instant impact as he looks to make a big name for himself in N17.
He did just that as he netted his first goal for the club with a brilliant finish past Manuel Neuer after the ball had fallen kindly to him in the area.
Sessegnon was a shining light on an otherwise drab night for the team and he definitely made a big impression on Rose with his tracking back to help the experienced left-back out.
"He was brilliant," he told the Evening Standard after the game at the Allianz Arena. "His goal was a brilliant finish and he helped me out defending as well. He was so unselfish. He’s a big threat attacking as well. I’m over the moon for him and I hope that’s the first of many for Ryan.
"I hope there isn’t a lot of pressure on him. He’s so down to earth, he’s so quiet and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do for us in the coming years.
"We know Ryan’s for the future. We know what he can do now but he was so unlucky he arrived at the club injured from the Euros [with England’s U-21s] and then had a bit of a setback."
Starting his career as a left-back at Fulham, the youngster's versatility could see him potentially take Rose's place if Mourinho elects to push him back.
The experienced left-back looked set to depart Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer but he remained in the capital with no move coming to fruition.
Stating last month that he will remain at the club for another 18 months until the end of his contract, the 29-year-old provided a further update on his future now that Mourinho has replaced Mauricio Pochettino at the helm.
"I've never had a conversation with him [Mourinho] and I don't see why I need to," he added.
"As I said before, I'm here for the next 18 months so I don't see why I need to have a conversation with the manager.
"I want to do as well as I possibly can, work as hard as I can to achieve what looked impossible a few weeks ago, and that is finishing in the top four.
"I'm looking forward to a massive Christmas run that we've got."
