Ex-Spurs star hints at Premier League return after European stint

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte was left fuming on Wednesday, as his side were denied a late winner against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League. 

With the score at 1-1, Spurs’ Harry Kane thought he had netted a winner deep into injury time, before VAR intervened and ruled out the strike due to the England international being marginally offside.

Conte was left fuming over the decision, while many of his players continued to argue with the referee long after the final whistle.

The hosts had fallen behind early on against their Portuguese opponents, with former Tottenham academy star Marcus Edwards netting.

The Englishman was named player of the match after his superb goal, continuing his fine run of form.

The 23-year-old has now admitted that he has grown up since leaving Spurs back in 2019.

“Definitely, that is naturally going to happen with age,” Edwards told The Evening Standard when asked if he had matured since leaving England.

“I have grown up in a lot of ways, I’m 23 and last time I was at Tottenham, I was only 17, 18.

“I was only a baby, so I have grown up. I was just a kid, you know what kids are like.”

The attacker was highly regarded during his time with Spurs’ academy, but he made just one senior appearance for the club, playing 15 minutes in a League Cup tie against Gillingham back in 2016.

Edwards was a star of the Spurs academy a few years ago 

Edwards had spells with Norwich City and Dutch side Excelsior during his time with Spurs, before leaving the north London outfit permanently to join Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes three years ago.

The winger, who can also play as a forward or attacking midfielder, made 96 appearances for Vitoria, scoring 20 goals and providing 16 assists.

That form drew the attention of Sporting, who signed the former England under-20 international for a fee of £6.75 million in January this year.

Since making the move to the Portuguese capital, Edwards has continued to shine, scoring eight goals and registering eight assists in 31 matches so far for his new club.

The Englishman has enjoyed his time in Portugal, and would encourage other young players to follow in his footsteps.

“Definitely. Everyone has a different journey. For me it worked out, going over there and it clicked straight away,” he said when asked if he would encourage other players to follow suit.

He did, however, also hint at a return to his homeland.

“It has been good for me, but I would love to play in England [again] and be near my family.”

Edwards has been linked with a move back to the Premier League since impressing against Spurs back in September, when Sporting defeated The Lilywhites 2-0.

His performance in that game prompted some supporters to call for an England senior call-up, although that remains unlikely with less than three weeks remaining before the start of the World Cup.