SHOOT for the Stars: Tottenham’s Cameron Carter-Vickers

Here at Shoot!, we are always keeping an eye on the young superstars coming through the various youth systems around the country.

We want to keep you in the know with regard to some starlets that might well go and become some of the best footballers in the world.

Each week, we aim to feature some of brightest talent from around the country, and this week is no different.

We have documented the progress of Sheffield Wednesday’s George Hirst and West Brom’s Kane Wilson in recent weeks, but now our attentions turn to North London to take a look at an 18-year-old Tottenham defender… Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Carter-Vickers joined the Spurs academy aged 11, and has slowly progressed through the various academy teams at White Hart Lane.

The centre-back is clearly very highly-rated at Tottenham and, under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, there probably aren’t many better managers in getting the best out of young talent in the country right now.

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

The 18-year-old, born on New Year’s Eve 1997, has already been noticed by his country, having already appeared for the United States at Under-18, Under-20, and Under-23 level, and you sense that it is only a matter of time before he starts knocking on the door of the senior squad.

Carter-Vickers is eligible for England, but has yet to appear for the Three Lions at any age group, so the US clearly saw an opportunity to get the young defender playing for them. He has already played 29 times for the various age groups, despite being just 18.

At 6ft tall, he is a strong defender who is tough to beat in the air and in the tackle, and captained the Spurs’ Under-21 side throughout the 2015/16 campaign.

Already, he is being trusted with a leadership role in the heart of the back four, and he was duly rewarded for his great strides by making the match-day squad for Tottenham’s Europa League matches against AS Monaco, Fiorentina, and Borussia Dortmund in the 2015/16 campaign.

He moved that one step closer to competing with the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld by starting in Spurs’ 5-0 win over Gillingham in this season’s EFL Cup alongside fellow youngster Kevin Wimmer.

Alderweireld’s injury at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday is likely to rule him out of the trip to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League this week, which may provide a chance for Carter-Vickers to show Spurs fans and pundits alike exactly how good he is.

Although he has yet to add to that one start, Carter-Vickers has got a very bright future in the game, and it’s plausible that the Spurs defence could include both him and Wimmer at the heart of it for many years to come.