US youth international Cameron Carter-Vickers could be set for a promotion to the Tottenham first-team, according to comments from Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino told reporters over the weekend that he may promote the 18-year-old center back from Tottenham’s Under-21 squad to the first-team, who recently lost starting central defender Jan Vertonghen for two months due to a knee injury.
The Argentine manager also indicated that he isn’t planning on signing a replacement for Vertonghen before the close of the English transfer window on Monday.
“We have a lot of players in defensive positions that can play,” Pochettino told reporters in a press conference according to ESPN FC. “We have another youngster from the academy – Cameron Carter-Vickers. He is still young but has enough quality and he is training with us from the beginning of the season and playing for the Under-21s. It’s a good opportunity to stay with us now more consistently. I think we have enough players to cover [Vertonghen’s] injury.”
Carter-Vickers, who was born in England to an American father and English mother and joined Tottenham's academy in 2009, started all five of the US’s games during their successful run to the quarterfinals at last summer’s U-20 World Cup. He also started all five matches for the US U-23s at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament last fall, and figures to play a major role in the Olympic qualifying playoff against Colombia in March.
Tottenham beat lower-division side Colchester United 4-1 in FA Cup action on Saturday. Currently in fourth-place in the Premier League, it takes on Norwich City on Tuesday.
