The mood around Tottenham Hotspur has improved dramatically since Antonio Conte was appointed as Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor earlier this month.
As the atmosphere turned toxic inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during a dismal 3-0 defeat to Manchester United at the end of October, Nuno’s position, already weakened by poor results and even worse performances, became untenable.
There were few positives during the dark final days of the Portuguese’s shortlived spell in charge. And it is indicative of the malaise that had begun to creep in that a rare bright spark could be found in a game that Spurs lost in a competition they don’t even want to be in.
Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Vitesse Arnhem in the Uefa Europa Conference League would have been instantly forgettable had it not been for a 15-minute cameo from a 20-year-old debutant. In replacing Dane Scarlett for the closing stages, Dilan Markanday became both the first British Asian and player of Indian descent to represent Tottenham’s first-team in a competitive match.
It was a significant moment on an otherwise largely insignificant night. According to the Professional Footballers’ Association, Markanday is currently one of only 15 professional players of South Asian heritage in the men’s game, with a further 20 signed to scholarship terms. Encouragingly, though, that latter figure is the highest it has ever been.
“It was a proud moment being the first British Asian [to play for Spurs], it is obviously great,” Markanday told fans from Tottenham’s various supporter groups in India over a Zoom call last week. “I hope more and more come through and I am the first of many. I hope that lots of British Asians make that step, believe in themselves, back themselves and can come through and show what they can do.”
In playing for one of English football’s biggest clubs, Markanday has instantly become a role model for South Asian footballers and fans alike, both at home and abroad. Those taking a key interest in his career will hope that his eye-catching exploits in Tottenham’s U23 side will lead to further first-team opportunities under Conte.
Forcing his way into Conte’s plans will be a challenge, but Markanday can’t do much more to get himself noticed. The silky, left-footed forward scored four goals in as many games for the U23s last month, including a double in a 3-1 win over Manchester City and an injury-time winner against Manchester United, to earn the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award. In total, he has netted 10 times in 10 league matches this season.
Wales international and former Aston Villa and Swansea City defender Neil Taylor has worked alongside Markanday in his role as a mentor for the PFA’s Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme that was launched in February with the aim of increasing Asian representation in English football. Taylor, 32, who has an Indian mother, admits that it is vital for aspiring footballers from South Asian communities to have players like Markanday to aspire to.
“For somebody like Dilan to be breaking into the Tottenham first-team squad… of course, he’s still got a long, long way to go, but people from that area of London from a certain background seeing that happen, it is 100 per cent a fantastic thing,” he tells i.
“It’s only since I’ve had kids that I’ve realised how much they idolise footballers, someone who has scored at the weekend, the latest footballer who is doing well, somebody who looks like them. It is a massive thing.
“There’s incredible talent out there, there really is. There are kids in academies now that are 14, 15 years old like Layth Gulzar at Brighton in the England U16s. The levels [of British Asians playing in professional football] are obviously nowhere near where we want them to be but that might be a five to 10-year thing.
“People like me and [Stoke City defender] Danny Batth are not going to be around in a few years time, so there needs to be someone else that young kids can see.”
Markanday’s first-team bow was also well received in India. According to Alok Badri, chairman of the India Spurs supporters’ group, the club can expect a surge of interest from football fans in the country following his debut.
“It was 11.45pm in India on a weekday. I was almost going to sleep looking at the way the game was going but the substitution got me wide awake again because we finally saw Dilan make his debut for Spurs,” Badri recalled to i. “This debut opens a few more doors for us, it allows us to dream. Spurs’ reach and following in India is about to increase by a considerable margin.
“Although Dilan is a British citizen, it was a matter of pride for all the Spurs fans in India and also Indian Spurs fans in the UK that a player of Indian descent had made his debut for our beloved Spurs. We, as Indian Spurs fans have been waiting for this moment. We finally have ‘one of our own’ to cheer for.”
Watching Markanday take his first steps in professional football was also a proud moment for those who have had a hand in his development.
“I was extremely proud as I know that it will have meant so much to him personally and to his family,” Ryan McIntosh, director of sport at Haberdashers Aske’s in Hertfordshire, Markanday’s old school, tells i. “He has worked extremely hard to improve as a player, seemingly staying true to a strong set of values, and he has had to overcome a very rigorous process of selection to remain within the pathway at Tottenham in order to get this far.
“I have been equally proud to see his selection through the age grades, signing his first professional contract, playing in the first ticketed game at the new stadium and scoring the first goal in it, as well as seeing him perform so consistently well for the Under-23 squad.
“To become the first British Indian player to play at this level for Spurs is a huge achievement and I very much hope that he gets the opportunity to further show what he can do on this the biggest of stages.”
The school’s head of football Julian Hails, a former pro at Fulham and Southend United, adds: “There were days when he was getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning to complete his homework so he could also make training in the evenings. He was clearly able to manage everything and, as you can see by looking at him now, the hard work and sacrifices have most certainly paid off.”
Although Markanday’s accomplishments to date have earned him plaudits, there is a danger that increased exposure and the pressure that comes with it, could have a detrimental impact on his progress.
“I don’t want us to put too much pressure on the young players coming through,” Sanjay Bhandari, chairman of Kick It Out tells i. “It’s difficult enough getting through into the first-team without becoming the hope for every British South Asian football fan in the country.
“The fact that we even know Dilan’s name… we’ll know that we’ve made progress when we don’t even comment on young Asian kids coming through and making their first-team debuts.”
For the time being, though, Markanday seems happy to blaze a trail for the next generation of British Asian footballers. “I try not to put pressure on myself to think I have to do it for other people,” he told his new fans over Zoom. “I am doing it for myself and along the way, I hope to inspire other people that anything is possible.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3FoHcTl
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