Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski believes youngster Ashley Phillips is ready to step up should Ange Postecoglou need him.
The 18-year-old joined Spurs in the summer from Blackburn Rovers in a £3million deal but has yet to make his first-team debut.
Kulusevski has backed the Salford-born centre-back to showcase his talents, having been impressed with him in training.
Asked if he is ready, Kulusevski said: “Yeah probably he is ready.”
“It is the coach that decides that, but I think every player is unbelievable in the training.
“Everybody is ready, everybody wants to play and it is so high level the training. So, if he will be called, he will be ready,” he added.
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Spurs were defeated 4-1 by Chelsea on Monday night in one of the craziest London derby affairs of all time.
Argentinian World Cup winner Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were both shown red cards, and Micky van de Ven picked up a major hamstring injury.
It leaves Postecoglou with plenty of thinking to do, and it could potentially mean the Australian turns to Phillips.
Tottenham take on Wolves at the weekend, and Phillips could be in contention to partner Eric Dier in the backline.
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Post-match press conference: Ange Postecoglou (Premier League: Tottenham vs. Chelsea)The youngster came through the ranks at Curzon Ashton before joining Blackburn Rovers in 2017.
He played 14 first-team games for the Ewood Park side last season and had plenty of suitors before Spurs won the race for his signature.
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