Having recently swapped Seattle for north London, USA international defender DeAndre Yedlin practiced with his new Tottenham teammates at the club’s Hotspur Way training ground.
Yedlin made an immediate impact by showing his pace in training and scoring a goal. Watch the highlights here featuring Yedlin, who will be wearing the number 12 jersey at Spurs.
Spurs signed Yedlin in the summer from Seattle Sounders after his impressive World Cup showing, but the former Sounders man only had his work permit approved in December, seeing out the MLS season in the meantime.
In recent seasons, the 21-year-old has been one of the most exciting MLS prospects and starred at the World Cup in Brazil, so it was little surprise one of Europe’s wealthiest clubs snapped him up in the summer.
Although he may not yet be the finished article, and he’ll take a while to adjust to the Premier League, Yedlin’s raw talent has certainly got Spurs fans excited.
Some may cast a cynical eye over Spurs’ current depth at Yedlin’s right-back position and question whether they need Yedlin. Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Vlad Chiriches and Kyle Naughton have all played there this season, while promising youngster Ryan Fredericks is on loan at Middlesbrough.
But Dier and Chiriches are both natural center-backs, while Naughton has failed to deliver in his Spurs career, and is a target for Swansea City who are interested in adding a full back who can play on either the left or right.
Yedlin’s lightning-quick pace makes him versatile to play as a right winger too, so he gives Spurs head coach Pochettino options to consider.
