De Zerbi says Williams-Barnett is ready to start for Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi says teenager Luca Williams-Barnett is ready to start, but has not confirmed whether he will select him for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Leeds United.

Williams-Barnett, 18, made his Premier League debut as a substitute in Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. De Zerbi said the decision was his responsibility and that he needed to find the right moment to give the youngster a starting opportunity. He said he had considered starting him against Chelsea the previous month.

The manager described Williams-Barnett as a special talent and said he had the quality, personality and behaviour to play from the beginning. He also said the teenager should learn from more experienced players, including Andy Robertson, James Maddison and Ben Davies.

A poll reported this week drew 3,134 responses on whether Williams-Barnett should start against Leeds. Sixty-five per cent favoured a start, 34 per cent opposed it and 1 per cent were unsure. Those figures reflect the poll’s respondents, not all Tottenham supporters.

A report citing Football Insider said Tottenham were increasingly inclined to keep Williams-Barnett rather than loan him out in January,...