Teenager spotted around Tottenham’s first-team training on Thursday after quitting Man City earlier this year

With the international break finally over, Tottenham Hotspur is fully focused on preparing for this weekend’s Premier League clash against West Ham United.

Manager Thomas Frank will be eager to get back to winning ways after his first defeat as Spurs boss, a disappointing 1-0 loss to Bournemouth just before the pause in the season.

That match saw the team create very few chances, and Frank will be looking for a much stronger response from his players.

The recent break, however, offered a valuable opportunity for some of the club’s most promising young talents to catch the manager’s eye.

While many senior players were away representing their countries, several academy stars were invited to train with the first-team squad.

This is a common practice during international periods, but for these youngsters, it represents a crucial chance to make an impression.

One such player is Dan Batty, an 18-year-old midfielder who joined Tottenham from Manchester City earlier this year.

Batty was spotted in a video from Thursday’s training session, even being one of the first to welcome new signing Xavi Simons before walking out to the pitch alongside established names like Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin. His presence among the senior group is a significant step in his young career.

Leaving a club like Manchester City is never an easy decision for a young player, but the path to the first team at the Etihad is famously challenging.

Tottenham moved quickly to secure Batty’s signature, convinced by his potential after he recorded three goals and four assists in just 20 games for City’s Under-18s last season.

A creative and technically gifted player, though not the tallest, Batty clearly possesses the quality that appealed to the Spurs recruitment team.

While it is unlikely he will feature in the matchday squad against West Ham, simply training with the first team allows him to learn the manager’s tactics and demonstrate his abilities directly to Frank.

This experience is invaluable for his development and future prospects at the club.

Batty was not alone in getting this opportunity. He was joined by 21-year-old defender Dante Cassanova, who has been a consistent performer for the development squad.

Primarily playing as a left-back this season after previously featuring as a centre-back, Cassanova’s versatility is a valuable asset.

Also training with the group was 20-year-old winger Yusuf Akhamrich, who has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season with three goals and an assist in just four games across Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy.

For all these young players, these moments are more than just a training session; they are an audition. They will hope their effort and talent have left a positive impression on the manager, putting them in a stronger position for potential first-team opportunities as the long season progresses.

For Thomas Frank, getting a close-up view of the next generation could provide him with more options and fresh energy as he continues to build his project at Tottenham Hotspur. The focus is now firmly on West Ham, but the work done during the break could pay off in the weeks and months to come.